SAG: Sri Lanka claims 21 medals with four golds

As ace swimmer Matthew Abeysinghe’s outstanding performances gave the island nation two gold medals, Sri Lanka’s football team made an enthralling start by recording an upset win against favourites India, as the 12th South Asian Games took off in Guwahati and Shillong, in the northern region of India on Saturday (6).

India, fielding the same unit that won the South Asian Football Federation Cup a month ago beating Afghanistan 3-2, were made to eat humble pie by the Lankans yesterday, who won their opening 1-0, through a free kick off skipper Mohamed Riyaz. 

Sri Lanka’s football win against India comes after a lapse of ten years. Sri Lanka had only beaten India thrice in their earlier 15 meetings since 1989, with the last outing held in Trivandrum on December 23, yesterday’s winners losing the battle by 0-2.  

Swimmer Abeysinghe clocked 01 minute and 52.3 seconds in the Men’s 200m Freestyle final to pip Indian Saurabh Sangvekar to clinch the gold medal as Sri Lanka ended with a tally of 21 medals – four gold, ten silver and seven bronze. 

Sangvekar clocked 01 minute and 53 seconds to claim the silver medal while Bangladesh’s Muhfizur Rahman clocked 01 minute and 56.2 seconds to finish third and win the bronze medal.

Hours later from his first gold Abeysinghe went on to give Sri Lanka its second, after winning the Men’s 100m Butterfly Stroke event. 

He clocked 55.42 seconds to grab the gold as India’s Supriyo Mondal finished second to win the silver medal with a timing of 55.86 seconds. 

Sri Lanka claimed a double in the same event when Cherantha de Silva clocked 56 seconds to win the bronze medal. 

Before the sun set on the Sri Lankans, their swimmers went on to bag another gold medal, the country’s fourth, in the Men’s Freestyle 4x100m Relay pushing India and Bangladesh into silver and bronze medals. 

Cherantha de Silva, Kyle Abeysinghe, Shehan de Silva and double gold medalist Matthew Abeysinghe teamed for Sri Lanka, as they combined to clock 03 minutes and 30.11 seconds ahead of India (03:30.70) and Bangladesh (03:39.72). 

Sri Lanka bagged the silver medal in the Women’s Freestyle 4x100m Relay behind India, who won the gold. Pakistan won the bronze medal. 

Kimiko Raheem, Ishani Erandika, Sandu Savindi and Machiko Raheem teamed up to clock 04 minutes and 05.07 seconds as India timed 04 minutes and 01.95 seconds.  

Earlier on, weightlifter Anton Sudesh Peiris gave the islanders their third gold medal, winning the 62kg category with a total lift of 265kgs. Peiris lifted 115kgs in snatch and 150kgs in clean and jerk. 

Winning the silver medal was Bipash Thapa of Nepal, who lifted a total of 242kgs – 112kgs in snatch and 130kgs in clean and jerk – with Bangladeshi Mostain Bella winning the bronze with a total lift of 225kgs – a combine of 100kgs and 125kgs. 

India’s Shivani Katavia won the gold medal of the Women’s 200m Freestyle event as Sri Lanka claimed the silver and bronze medals in that event. Katavia clocked 02 minutes and 08.7 seconds in the quest to win the gold as Sri Lanka’s Machiko Raheem finished at second with a timing of 02 minutes and 09 seconds to grab the silver medal. 

Her team mate Ishani Senanayake won the bronze medal, finishing the 200m swim in 02 minutes and 11.6 seconds. 

Machiko Raheem won her second medal for the day, a bronze medal in the Women’s 100m Butterfly Stroke event clocking 01 minute and 07.24 seconds. 

She finished third behind India’s Damini Gowda, who clocked 01 minute and 04.92 seconds to win the gold and compatriot Hiruni Perera, who won the silver medal finishing with a timing of 01 minute and 06.89 seconds.

Kiran Jayasinghe won a silver medal in the Men’s 200m Breast Stroke event, clocking 02 minutes and 26.17 seconds as India’s Sandeep Sejwal won the gold medal with a timing of 01 minute and 20.66 seconds and Bangladesh’s Shariful Islam won the bronze after clocking 01 minute and 26.99 seconds.
 
Hasanthi Nugawela gave Sri Lanka another silver medal when she clocked 02 minutes and 49.6 seconds in the Women’s 200m Breast Stroke event, just 00.4 seconds ahead of Romana Akter of Bangladesh, who won the bronze. 

Pakistan’s Lianna Swan clocked 02 minutes and 48.8 seconds to win the gold medal.  

Sri Lanka’s first medal came through Dinusha Gomes, who won a silver medal in the Women’s Weightlifting 48kgs event. 

Gomes lifted a total of 145kgs – 65kgs in snatch and 80kgs in clean and jerk – as Indian Chanu Mirabai won the gold medal, lifting a total of 169kgs. 

She lifted 79kgs in snatch and 90kgs in clean and jerk. Bangladesh’s Molla Shabira lifted 143kgs – 63kgs in snatch and 80kgs in clean and jerk – to win the bronze medal. 

Later on Lakmal Jayasuriya won a silver medal in the Men’s 56kg Weightlifting event lifting a total weight of 239kgs – 111kgs in snatch and 128kgs in clean and jerk. 

India’s Gururaja lifted 104kgs in snatch and 137kgs in clean and jerk, to record a total weight of 241kgs to win the gold. 

Pakistan’s Abdullah Ghaffor lifted a total of 227kgs – 102kgs in snatch and 125kgs in clean and jerk – to win the bronze medal.

Chamari Mendis clinched a silver medal in the Women’s 53kgs Weightlifting event with an overall lift of 150kgs. 

She lifted 65kgs in snatch and 85kgs in clean and jerk as India’s Harshdeep Kaur lifted 171kgs – 73kgs in snatch and 98 in clean and jerk – to win the gold medal. 

Nepal’s Devkumari Chaudri lifted 129kgs overall weight – 54kgs in snatch and 75kgs in clean and jerk – to win the bronze. 

Sri Lanka’s Janaka Hemantha won a bronze medal in the Men’s 40km Indoor Time Trial event after completing 43.18 kilometres as Indians Aravind Panwar and Manjeet Singh won the gold and silver medals respectively after completing 45.43kms and 44.25kms. 

In Wrestling M.P. Kumari and N. Nirosha, contesting in the Women’s 55kgs and 48kgs categories respectively, won silver medals while D.M. Priyanga won a bronze medal in the Women’s 60kgs category. 

India leads the medal tally with 19 medals, 14 golds and five silvers. 

Sri Lanka is placed second ahead of Pakistan, who won a gold, two silver and three bronze medals. 

Bangladesh is at fourth with a total of nine– a silver and eight bronze medals. 

Nepal has won three – a silver and two bronze while Afghanistan claimed a bronze medal. 

The 12th SAG will end next Friday (12).