Susanthika
Jayasinghe wins Gold at Japan GP
Susanthika
Jayasinghe, the first female Olympic medallist from
Sri Lanka, speeds in the women's 100m final race at
the IAAF Japan Grand Prix in Osaka, 11 May 2002. |
OSAKA, Japan,
May 11 - Susanthika Jayasinghe, the first female Olympic medallist
from Sri Lanka, made a sparkling start to her season with victory
in the women's 100 metres at the IAAF Japan Grand Prix on Saturday.
Jayasinghe,
the 200m bronze medallist in Sydney, successfully defended
her title with a time of 11.11 seconds, beating Debbie Ferguson
of the Bahamas and American Latasha Jenkins. Ferguson, the
world 200m silver medallist, timed 11.17, while Jenkins clocked
11.22.
The men's
100m was won by Shawn Crawford, who overtook fellow American
Tim Montgomery in his final strides to clock 9.94sec. Montgomery
was second in 9.95 and Japan's Shingo Suetsugu third in 10.13.
Jayasinghe was delighted with her form. "Earlier this
year when I was training during off season, I fell and fractured
my ankle," she said. "I had three months off. So
I'm very happy, because this is my first race this year."
Jayasinghe,
also the winner here in 1999, enjoyed a double victory in
the 100m and 200m in Yokohama shortly before her Sydney Olympic
glory, and went on to win the two distances again last year
here. "This is my lucky country," said Jayasinghe,
who added her goals this year are to win the Commonwealth
Games in Manchester and the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea.
"I'm
going to get ready for the Commonwealth Games. I hope I'm
going to win both the 100 metres and 200 metres," she
said. For Crawford, who broke his previous personal best of
9.99, it was sweet revenge for his loss to Montgomery in South
Africa last month, and he was quick to say he would concentrate
on breaking Maurice Greene's world record of 9.79 this season.
"Today,
I just forcused on trying to get out with him (Montgomery),
not ahead, and just hold on there. I'm pretty satisfied with
my time today," said Crawford. "This year I just
focus on trying to break the world record in the 100 metres
- 9.94, that's my personal best for me, it's a great stepping
stone towards the world record." Earlier, Kenya's Catherine
Ndereba, the world's fastest female marathon runner, slumped
to a disappointing 10th place in the 5,000m.
Ndereba,
who clocked the world fastest time of two hours 18 minutes
47 seconds in the 2001 Chicago marathon, trailed home in 16min
3.26sec, far slower than her personal best of 15:27.84. The
race was won by Benita Willis of Australia, who snatched the
lead from Leah Malot of Kenya in the last 300m to cross the
finishing line in 15:01.44. Malot was second in 15:04.16 and
Kayoko Fukushi third in 15:04.54. (AFP)
Sri
Lankans more worried about the English weather
Neville de Silva reporting from London
Muralitharan
30, is recovering in Australia after tearing ligaments
in his shoulder during the Sharjah Cup final against Pakistan
in April. His shoulder was in a brace supported by pulleys
as part of the treatment process. A doctor will see Murathilaran
on Monday to decide if the shoulder has healed enough
to remove the brace and it would be known next week whether
he would be able to play in the third test starting on
June 13. Murathilaran became the youngest bowler to take
400 wickets last year. - Pic Courtesy Vajira Goonewardene.
|
Sri Lanka's
cricketers went into their match against Middlesex yesterday
( Saturday), the last clash before the First Test opening
next Thursday with as many fingers crossed as possible against
Britain's typically dreadful weather. But whatever the weather,
the team is under strict orders to play cricket as a gentlemen's
game, as it was once played, and eschew the acrimony that
dogged the last series in Sri Lanka that England won by a
whisker.
The assurance
that Sri Lanka, at least, will play without rancour came from
team manager Chandra Schafter, speaking at a reception held
by High Commissioner Faiz Mustapha in honour of the visiting
cricketers. From the moment the team arrived here and played
its first games it has been followed by rain and biting cold,
alternating with an occasional flash of sunny skies, that
have made acclimatising cricket virtually impossible.
One might
keep warm by wearing four sweaters. But nobody has still devised
a way-that the laws of cricket permit- for a bowler to hold
a cold and wet ball at temperatures verging on 8 degrees centigrade.
Writing about the match against Durham, almost at the bottom
of the second division, Hobson wrote: "Nasser Hussain
will occasionally speak of an imaginary opponent he calls
Mr Pressure who emerges to deny England at moments of weakness.
The biggest enemy facing Sri Lanka during a perishing stay
in the North East has been Mr Low Pressure, but, amid the
mist, murk and biting winds, the last grey cloud proved to
have a De Silva lining".
Hobson's
reference reminded followers of the game that not only have
the visiting cricketers been unlucky with the weather but
that Aravinda de Silva, who had until recently been virtually
ostracised by some leading lights of Sri Lankan cricket, was
the one consistently bright light in the matches so far.
With four
half centuries under his belt already-and two in the Durham
match in which our bowlers took a hiding in unaccustomed conditions-
de Silva was still a treat to watch. That was, reluctantly
perhaps, admitted by Tim Lamb, the chief executive of the
England and Wales Cricket Board, speaking at the reception.
Referring
to Mustapha's arrival in London to take up his new post a
couple of weeks ahead of the cricket tour, Lamb said it was
as beautifully timed as one of Aravinda de Silva's cover drives.
The reception held at the High Commission was one of Faiz
Mustapha's first official duties and it was well attended
by Sri Lankan cricket lovers, though the British media was
conspicuous by its collective absence, possibly busy over
other county matches.
While
Mustapha wished the Sri Lankan cricketers every success on
the tour, England cricket chief Tim Lamb, who spoke immediately
after, was reluctant to extend all that success, reserving
some for his own team. He said it was "almost unthinkable"
that Sri Lanka had not been given a longer test series than
the single games it has played so far.
Team manager
Chandra Schafter said Lamb was largely responsible for getting
this 3-Test series. "But," he said, "it was
not given as a favour". Sri Lanka had proved itself as
a gifted cricket team and today was ranked by the ICC as the
third best in its ratings, after Australia and South Africa.
Thilanga
willing to represent ICC ex-co meeting
By M.Shamil Amit
"If I have been nominated by the Government to attend
the ex-co meeting of the ICC in June members of the interim-committee
have no right to object to it," said Mr. Thilanga Sumathipala,
the former president of the Board of Control for Cricket in
Sri Lanka in an interview with The Sunday Times.
Mr.Sumathipala
was speaking over the telephone from Malaysia regarding his
appointment by the Minister of Sports to attend the ICC ex-co
meeting in England next month. "I heard that I have been
honoured with this appointment," said Mr. Sumathipala.
When asked
about the objections that have been raised by some members
of the interim committee regarding his appointment, he said
that if such an appointment has been made, they have no right
to object. "The interim committee is a temporary body
and none of them have attended an ex-co meeting of the ICC,"
he said.
"All
I can say is if I am appointed I will work for the betterment
of cricket". He said that the present interim committee
have gone public admitting that the board finance is bankrupt.
" So what more do you want. I don't know why anybody
should oppose such a move. They must try to improve the declining
state of the game which they are not doing".
He went
on to say that the Pakistan Government too has appointed a
person outside the interim committee to represent them at
the annual general meeting of the ICC to be held shortly.
And during the tenure of the late Gamini Dissanayake, Nuski
Mohamed who was not a member was appointed to represent at
the ICC conference. "So what is wrong with this decision",
he asked.
When asked
if any problems would arise in him being appointed to represent
Sri Lanka he said he cannot see any problems as he is appointed
by the Government. "I am only too willing to help Sri
Lanka come out of the doldrums in cricket".
In conclusion
he said, "Let the interim committee look after the cricket
and see that it does not fall into the deep blue sea. I am
very sorry and happy to see that they have at least admitted
even now that the board is almost bankrupt. I am honoured
and privileged to be selected to attend this august meeting
that's all I can say".
|
