Gemunu Watch and Women’s Corp win Novices Athletic Meet
Men’s overall champions Gemunu Watch Regiment
Gemunu Watch Regiment (GW) with 146 points and 2 (V) Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps (SLAWC) with 205 points emerged champions respectively in separate Men’s and Women’s categories at the 19th Army Novices Athletics Championship held at the Mahinda Rajapaksa International Stadium, Diyagama on a grand scale, followed by the awards ceremony. Major General Sumedha Perera, Deputy Chief of Staff representing the Commander of the Army graced the closing ceremony as the Chief Guest. This year’s Novices Athletics Championship, organised by the Sri Lanka Army Association of Athletics on the instructions of its Chairman, Major General Amal Karunasekara continued for two days (March 15 – 16).
Second and third runners-up slots in the Men’s category were won by the Sri Lanka Artillery (SLA) Regiment with 86 points and the Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers Regiment (SLEME) with 84 points respectively. In the Women’s category, 4 (V) Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps with 174 points and the 3 (V) Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps with 65 points secured second and third places. Generating a glimmer of new hope in the field, 22 Regiments, comprising of more than 698 athletes, competed in the 19th Army Novices Athletics Championship Meet – 2016 of the Sri Lanka Army.
14 New Meet Records (NMR), were set up at the meet including 800 m, 200 m, 4 x 100 m and 10,000 m in Men’s category and 800 m in the Women’s category were created during the meet.
The Meet – 2016 with track and field events took place this year with elaborate arrangements under the close and personal supervision of Lieutenant General Crishanthe De Silva, Commander of the Army. The exciting contest for Championship reached its climax on Wednesday (15) with the start of the finals in 400 m, 15000 m , 100 m and 100 m races for both men and woman athletes, together with relay runs (men and women). The final few minutes generated a wave of enormous interest and cheering as they were turning very challenging. Multi-coloured Army band displays, march-pasts and other entertaining features, added variety and entertainment to the final closing ceremony as soldiers in their hundreds, together with sports fans thronged the stadium.
Towards the end of the day’s events, the Chief Guest in the company of Major General Amal Karunasekara awarded trophies and medals to the competitors/winners who excelled in different fields of athletics in the Meet. After distribution of trophies, Major General Sumedha Perera, Chief Guest addressed the occasion, highlighting the importance of collective sportsmanship and the need to further improve their skills. At the commencement of the second day’s event, Major General Amal Karunasekara made the welcome speech.