Budding sprinters off to Kenya
Aspiring sprinter Medhani Jayamanne will be among the seven young athletes that will represent Sri Lanka at the World Athletics Under-20 Championships, to be held in Nairobi, Kenya from Tuesday.
Jayamanne qualified for the Women’s 100m and 200m events at her last two outings — at the First National Trials in Colombo and at the Inter-State Championship of India held in Punjab. Other athletes qualified for individual events are Shanika Lakshani and Tharushi Karunaratne, who will be running in the Women’s 800m event.
Isuru Abeywardena will represent the country in the Men’s 400m event, as well as the 4x400m Mixed Relay, an event Sri Lanka tests out for the first time in history. Others drafted into the squad are athletes who will be part of the 4x400m Mixed Relay event, which includes Ravindu Bandara, Sithum Jayasundara, Tharushi Karunaratne and Sayuri Mendis.
Umanga Surendra and Danushka Munasinghe will accompany team as coaches while Sunethra Karunanayake will be the Lady Chaperon. Jagath Silva has been appointed the manager of the team. Dr. Dhammika Senanayake will travel with the 12-member contingent as the Covid Liaison Officer. The Sri Lanka contingent will leave for Kenya today.
The World Athletics Under-20 Championships, also regarded as the World Junior Championships, will be held from August 17 to 22 at the Nyayo Sports Complex in Nairobi, Kenya, following its postponement last year. The event will be held without spectators due to the current pandemic situation.
Men: Isuru Kaushalya Abeywardena (Ananda Sasthralaya, Matugama, 400m, 4x400m Mixed Relay), Ravindu Bandara (Wekada MV, 4x400m Mixed Relay), Sithum Jayasundara (Sir John Kotalawala MV, 4x400m Mixed Relay)
Women: K. Shanika Lakshani (Holy Cross College, Gampaha, 800m), Tharushi Karunaratne (A. Rathnayake Central, Walala, 800m, 4x400m Mixed Relay), Medhani Jayamanne (Lumbini College, 100m, 200m), Sayuri Lakshima Mendis (Holy Cross College, Gampaha, 4x400m Mixed Relay)