Mahesh misses berth in the final round
Ranjan Dharmasena lost his first round game 0-2 to Philippines' Cataldo
Sri Lanka’s Mahesh Jayakody failed to reach the finals of the Men’s Single Sculls in Rowing as the Paralympics 2020 progressed to its fifth day in Tokyo yesterday. Jayakody clocked 11:21.31 in the second repecharge of the Men’s Singles Sculls at the Sea Forest Waterway at 7.00am SL time.
He was placed last among five oarsmen in contention in the second qualifier, which was won by Great Britain’s Benjamin Pritchard, who finished the course in 9:14.61 to record his personal best timing. Jayakody progressed to the repecharge stage after he finished last of six athletes in the second heat of his event held on Friday. He clocked 12:16.80 in the second of two heats where the winner of each advanced to the final and the rest were drafted to repecharge.
Pritchard, who clocked 10:12.24 in the second heat where Jayakody participated, also was drawn to reprecharge, only to better his timing with 9:14.61 and earn an easy passage to the final. The final will be held today with six competitors in line for a medal finish at 7.40am SL time. Jayakody becomes the third Sri Lankan to bow out of Paralympics 2020, after Sampath Bandara made an early exit in the Men’s Individual Recurve Open event in Archery. Bandara finished 23rd among 31 archers with 589 points, falling short heavily in the qualifier topped by Iran’s Cholamreza Rahimi, who recorded 644 points on Friday at the Yumenoshima Ranking Field.
Sampath Bandara was the first to make an early exit, but he was placed 23rd among 31
Ranjan Dharmasena was the first among Sri Lankan athletes to take the field at the Paralympics 2020 on Friday, but he crashed out of the first round in Wheelchair Tennis after losing 0-2 to Alexander Cataldo of the Philippines. Cataldo won the game in straight sets 6-3, 6-4 in the game which lasted slightly over an hour.
With the early exit of the three athletes in Archery, Rowing and Wheelchair Tennis Sri Lanka will bank heavily on the Track and Field athletes, who will be in action from tomorrow. Medal hope and flag-bearer of the Lankan team, Dinesh Herath will be the first in action tomorrow when he competes in the Men’s Javelin Throw F46 event, which will be held from 6.00am SL time at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo.
At 4.30pm SL time throwers Samitha Dulan and Chaminda Sampath will compete in the Men’s Javelin Throw F64 event. On Tuesday from 6.00am SL time sprinter Kumudu Priyanka will be in action in the Women’s 100m T47 event, beginning with the heats. On Friday Kumudu Priyanka and Maduranga Subasinghe will take the field representing Sri Lanka in the Women’s Long Jump T47 and Men’s 400m T47 events respectively. Palitha Bandara will compete in the Men’s Shot Put F63 event next Saturday.
Mahesh Jayakody failed to progress in Men's Single Sculls