Six new meet records were renewed on the second day of the All-Island Schools Games 2011 (Track and Field events) which is in progress at Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Diyagama, Homagama yesterday. At the end of day two, 47 young athletes of the age categories of Under-19 and 17 qualified themselves to earn national colours.
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Arosh Kariyawasam (467) of Ananda College Colombo reaching the finish of the Boy’s Under-15 200m final to set a new meet record on the second day at Diyagama. (Pic by Ranjith Perera) |
Among the trendsetters was Ishara Sandaruwa of Ratnayake Central Walala who cleared a height of 4.00 metres in the Boy’s Under-19 pole vault event. Ishara became the first local athlete to set any record in the month of October as he bettered the previous best of 3.87 metres established in 2008 by former schoolmate K.M.N.T. Sandaruwan. Ishara could have reached his feat on the opening day if not for organizational slip-ups and bad light which came later on the first day.
Anandian Arosh Kariyawasam clocked 23.30 seconds to set a new record in the Boy’s Under-15, 200m final event. Kariyawasam bettered the previous record of 23.40 shared by athletes of S. Thomas’ Mt. Lavinia, R.S. Makalanda and Ruwan Gunasinghe. Lahiru Prasanna of Taxila Central clocked 53.82 seconds in the Boy’s Under-19 400m hurdles event to better the timing of 53.93 seconds held by M.H. Shamildeen of Trinity.
Gimhani Jayathilake of Sumana Balika Ratnapura bettered her own timing of 1.03.22 to clock 1.02.72 seconds in the Girl’s Under-19 400m Hurdles event to improve the previous record set last year. In the Boy’s Under-17 long jump event, W.K.M.U. Kumara representing Kumara Vidyalaya Ratnapura clocked 7.07 seconds to claim the new meet record by a margin of 0.01 seconds which was held by Duminda Prasad Silva. The Under-19 100m relay team of Gateway International Rajagiriya ran the finals in 48.90 seconds to advance the previous timing of 49.47 seconds established by the replay team of St. Joseph’s Girls School Kegalle in 2008. The meet will continue today. |