End of road for Paralympian Dinesh Priyantha Herath
Celebrated Sri Lanka para-athlete and two-time Paralympic medalist, Dinesh Priyantha Herath, has been forced to end his athletic career, following a reclassification process carried out by the World Para Athletics (WPA) Classification Committee in Kobe Japan.As a result, Herath had to concede the silver medal he won in the Men’s Javelin Throw F46 event at the World Para Athletic Championship in Kobe, Japan on Friday, and the slot earned to represent Sri Lanka for the third time at a Paralympic event in Paris, France.The WPA summoned Herath to a reclassification process yesterday at 8.30a.m. Japanese time, while temporarily holding the official results of the Men’s Javelin Throw F46 event, which was won by Cuban Varona Gonzalez.According to Colonel Deepal Herath, the President of the National Paralympic Committee of Sri Lanka, the WPA team has thoroughly reviewed thrower Herath’s eligibility in continuing to compete under the F46 category. “The complaint was made well before the event, and the WPA team has captured video grabs of Dinesh Priyantha’s movements from every possible angle,” Col. Herath told the Sunday Times.
The F46 classification is for athletes with arm deficiency, impaired muscle power or impaired passive range of movement in arms, with athletes competing in a standing position.The WPA team had taken video footage of the thrower in all aspects, covering from various throwing angles, as well as the movements of his casual behaviour such as picking up objects, taking off and putting on clothing gear on the field and other impressions.
Eventually, upon a lengthy process, the thrower had been deemed ineligible to compete in any track or field events that come under 46, prompting Herath to end his short, yet illustrious career.“The WPA team has observed that his (Dinesh Priyantha) arm movement has improved, and determined that he is not eligible to compete under the F46 category anymore”.“He (Dinesh Priyantha) has no other category beyond 46, and the WPA Reclassification team has advised him to give up the field event and look into coming in as a para archer. He is considering the options now,” Col. Herath added.
The list was finalised soon after the completion of the Men’s Javelin Throw F46 event, at around 6.20 p.m. Japanese time, Gonzalez led the list, followed by Herath, and Indians Rinku Hooda (62.77m), who was assured of a medal whatever the outcome of the inquiry, and Ajeeth Singh (62.11m) at fourth. Mexican Gabriel Buenaventura (61.95m) was standing in fifth position despite his heroic attempts to come close to a medal finish.
The Sri Lankan was leading the lot from his first attempt, an impressive throw of 62.04m, which was overruled by Gonzalez in his second attempt by a thin margin of 62.59m in his second attempt. But Herath made his best out of the stock in his second attempt to clear a distance of 64.59m, which stood as a meet record until Gonzalez sealed the gold medal in the fifth and final attempt.
Soon after his second attempt throw Herath was seen uncomfortable and was seeking medical attention to his novice arm, following the gigantic throw. But his three following attempts finished with an unimpressive 60.60m, 59.55m and 56.30m, while the Cuban Gonzalez and Indian Hooda made clear progress.
And when the final verdict was officially delivered, the Sri Lankan’s name was taken off the list of 12.As a result, Gonzalez walked away with his assured gold medal, while the Indians were elevated from their positions. Hooda, who ended up in the bronze medal position, was the eventual silver medalist, while his teammate Singh, who was placed fourth overall, was awarded the bronze medal.
Excitingly, the world record holder of the same event, India’s Sundar Singh, who threw 68.60m in Hangzhou, China, finished seventh after only two attempts and reached the best of 59.03m.Herath won a gold medal at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020, and a bronze medal at the Rio de Janeiro Paralympics in 2016. He also holds a gold medal from the Asian Para Games held in Jakarta in 2016 and has claimed two silver medals and a bronze at World Championships.
The official verdict was issued around noon yesterday by the games officials, which read as “The WPA Classification Protest has been completed and the Official Results have now been published,” the official games website stated by noon yesterday.
However, Indian thrower Rinku Hooda, who ended up with the silver medal, following Herath’s omission from the category, has posted on social media, thanking his team of coaches and medical staff, in particular, Dr. Manish Rana (Head of Classification NPC, India) for ‘playing an important role in upgrading the medals’.
“He identified a suspicious athlete in the F46 category during the Asian Games, who had been continuously playing in this category since 2013 and had won several international medals. Due to the efforts of Dr. Manish Rana, the team at World Para Athletics re-classification of that athlete after the competition and permanently removed from the competition. This is a great moment for all athletes in the F46 class,” Hooda wrote.
Herath has been competing under the F46 category since 2011, after he was disabled following gunshots suffered to his left arm during the civil war while serving the Sri Lanka Army. His international career began in 2012 with a gold medal won in Malaysia, in an attempt to represent Sri Lanka at the Paralympics. Despite missing the 2012 Paralympics, Herath represented Sri Lanka in the following Paralympics, winning a bronze medal and ending his career with six medals – two each of gold, silver, and bronze.