14 ATHLETES QUALIFY FOR ASIAN MEET
Awomen) total of nine athletes (six men and three
qualified to represent the country at next month’s 23rd Asian Senior Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar after coming out victorious in their respective events at the final selection trial held at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday.
In addition, five other athletes also reached the selection standard margin at this trial which was conducted by the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka (AASL).
A notable feature at the trial was the non selection of a relay team for the first time for this meet.
The athletes who qualified directly were: Himasha Eshan (100m), Vinod Suranjaya de Silva (100m), Dhanushka Piyaratne (long jump), Janaka Wimalasiri (long jump), Gratian Dhananjaya (triple jump), Sumeda Ranasinghe (javelin), Nilani Ratnayake (3,000m steeple chase), Nimali Liyanarachchi (800m) and Gayanthika Abeyratne (800m).
Those athletes who reached the selection standard margin were Rusiru Chathuranga (800m), Hemantha Kumara (1,500m), Ajith Pushpakumara (400m), R. Nadeesha (400m) and Vidusha Lakshani (triple jump).
Sri Lanka has been granted permission to field a total of 14 athletes and three officials for this event by the Asian Athletics Association (AAA).
The Asian Athletics Championships will be worked off from April 21 to 24.