Sports
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| 11th
Schools National Athletics Sports Festival Gayanika who established a new mark in the girls under 19, 800 metre event, on Friday ran her way into a new record in the under 19, 1500 metre event with a timing of 4 minutes 40:33 seconds. The prevailing record in that event was 4 minutes 46:33 seconds. A.A. Gayanika Thushari and a her sister Nilanka Sajeewani have established three records at this year's games so far, while taking the first place in five events. As the meet was in progress the media coordinater of the national sports festival M.C. Munagama speaking to The Sunday Times had a pathetic story to narrate about the two record breaking sisters Gayanika and Nilanka. He stated that the two girls coming from a mixed school that has over 4,500 students in their enrollment had come to this athletic meet without any support from the school. When the organizers were coordinating for their participation and requested the principal to send a teacher along with the girls the principal had not responded. They had come with only their male coach and have been in Colombo since the meet started. They were not given any financial support and the two girls had borrowed Rs. 1,000/- from a friend and the coach had found another Rs. 1,000/-. The girls in fact had wanted to skip the meet but due to their last minute efforts they managed to take part and they showed the world that they did possess the talent. "They have done their school proud" said Munagama and he was critical of the principal and said "will he be able to face the girls. We are going to take necessary steps and will be writing a letter to secretary of the Sports Minister after a discussion with the Director of Sports regarding this matter. They are the hidden talent and future national assets; they should be nurtured and given the proper backing" said a disturbed Munagama. Nine new records were established yesterday with the girls accounting for seven of these and at the end of the third day's proceedings 19 records have tumbled altogether. R.M. Chandrika Subashini of Senanayake MMV Madampe taking part in the girls under 19, 400 metres final eclipsed a long standing record set by Damayanthi Darsha in 1993 with a record breaking effort of 56.98 seconds which stood at 57:40 seconds for ten years. Subashini should be another future prospect of Sri Lanka as she has won the best athletes award for the last two years in this same meet and this year she was adjudged the best athlete at the Tarbat Shield championship too. In the same event for girls in the under 21 category U.G.S. Priyangika Kumari of St. Joseph's Balika Kegalle had a timing of 58.18 seconds which bettered the existing record of 58.47 seconds. Sachinthana Perera of St. Bridget's Convent Colombo jumped her way to a timing of 16.05 seconds in the girls under 15 hurdles event and the former time of this event stood at 16:34 seconds. In the under 21 girls 100 metres dash B.G.L. Maduwanthie of Sumana Balika MV, Ratnapura sprinted her way to establish a new record of 14.86 seconds bettering the record of 15.28 seconds. This was followed by two records in the boy's category one in the track and the other in the field where W. Sudarshana Weerakoon of Wickramasheela MMV, Giriulla beat the previous record 14.19 seconds in the under 15, 100 metres sprint with a timing of 13.73 seconds while O.R. Perera of Bingiriya MMV, Kuliyapitiya threw the Shot Putt to a distance of 17.12 metres to better the record of 16.16 metres. The penultimate record to be set yesterday was by the girls from Senanayake MMV, Madampe in the heats of the under 19 girls 4 x 400 relay event where they timed 4.04.16 seconds, which stood at 4.05.70 seconds. And the last record for the day came from W. Tharika Kumdumali Fernando of Good Shepard Convent, Panadura in the girls under 15 Shot Putt event with a heave of 9.41 metres to better the existing record of 9.06 metres. |
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This
damsel is from the outback. But, she is hot stuff. A.A. Gayanika
Thushari from Suriyawewa National School proved that she is a hope
for the future when she established her second record in two days
at the 11th National Sports Festival continued at the Sugathadasa
Stadium, yesterday. 