Tharushi Karunaratne, the promising athlete from Walala Central, clocked 1:26.99 in the 600m yesterday at a special trial held at Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium, Diyagama. With a personal best of 1:24.84 in the 600m, she couldn’t improve her time yesterday. Her road to the Olympics now stands at 1223.6 points, just ahead of her previous score of 1218.8 points. Based on her current ranking, she remains 42nd and her chances for the Olympics are uncertain as several competition results from around the world have yet to be updated, according to a senior official of Sri Lanka Athletics. The qualification cut-off date is June 30. The direct qualification time for the 800m is 1:59.40, and only the top 48 athletes will make the cut for the Olympics.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s highest-ranking athlete, javelin thrower Dilhani Lekamge, achieved 55.88m yesterday at the special trial. She is currently ranked 23rd in javelin throw, with 32 athletes to be selected, putting her almost in the qualifying range and expecting an official announcement soon.
400m champion Aruna Dharshana placed first with a time of 45.49 seconds but couldn’t reach the qualifying mark of 45.00 seconds, making his Olympic qualification doubtful. He is currently ranked 54th. The Olympic wild card entries are reserved exclusively for the marathon, 100m, and 800m, and the 400m is not eligible for a wild card. Sri Lanka still hopes for Tharushi and Yupun Abeykoon to secure these slots.
Dhammika Ratnaweera
