South Asian Games in Nepal Six Gold Medals for SL on day-5

Lakshika Sugandi celebrates

Dilshi Maheesha reacts 

By Naushad Amit reporting from Nepal

The Sri Lanka track and field athletes added four Gold Medals to their tally with two more medals coming in from wushu and weightlifting on the fifth day of the 13th South Asian Games (SAG) which continued at the Darashath Stadium in Kathmandu, Nepal yesterday. 

Sprinters Aruna Darshana and Dilshi Maheesha, hurdler Lakshika Sugandi and triple jumper Hashini Prabodha won Gold Medals to put Sri Lanka back on the saddle in track and field events.  

Sugandi edged-out India’s Aparna Roy to win the Women’s 100m hurdles with a timing of 13.68s.

Sri Lanka had the possibility of claiming a top two finish but Ireshani Rajasinghe failed to dominate over the Indian Silver Medallist and claimed the Bronze Medal clocking 14.18s. 
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka won three back-to-back Gold Medals in the Men’s 400m, Women’s 400m and Women’s triple jump events. 

Aruna Darshana claimed the Gold Medal in the Men’s 400m final after clocking 46.69s while Lakmal Priyantha followed in close to claim the Silver Medal with a timing of 46.79s.
Sri Lanka claimed another Gold Medal in the Women’s 400m final with Dilshi Maheesha finishing the race in 53.40s. 

Sri Lanka enjoyed another one-two finish in the Women’s triple jump as the favourite Vidusha Lakshani was bettered by her compatriot Hashini Prabodha. 
She achieved 13.21m in her third attempt after failing twice and the leap was sufficient to win the Gold Medal over Lakshani who jumped 13.14m. 

Hurdler Roshan Dhammika and triple jumper Safreen Ahmed added the remaining two Bronze Medals for Sri Lanka taking the entire count to nine from the fifth day in athletics. 
Dhammika clocked 14.42s in the Men’s 110m hurdles to win the Bronze Medal. Safreen Ahmed gave Sri Lanka a Bronze Medal in the Men’s triple jump with a clearance of 15.95m.
Wushu

Sri Lanka’s Thilini Gunasekara won the All-round Gold Medal with 18.66 points while Sanju Kumari claimed the Bronze Medal in the Women’s nandao All-round event after accumulating 14.74 points. 

Weightlifting

Y. D. I Kumara claimed the Gold Medal in the Men’s 55kg weight category while the Sri Lankan lifters secured three more Silver Medals in Pokhara. The three Silver Medals were won by Thilanka Palangasinghe in the Men’s 61kg, B. G. D. Hansani in the Women’s 49kg and D. M. S. Samarakoon in the Men’s 45kg. 

Table tennis

The Sri Lanka Men’s and Women’s table tennis teams added three more Bronze Medals yesterday. The first Bronze Medal came from the Men’s doubles pair of Chameera Ginige and Krishan Wickremaratne. The second Bronze Medal was for the Mixed Doubles and the players involved were Udaya Ranasinghe and Ishara Madurangi. 

Madurani and Hansani Piyumila were also awarded the Bronze Medal for their efforts in the Women’s Doubles.  

Hashini Prabodha celebrates 

Tennis

Despite losing all their matches, the Sri Lanka Women’s Tennis Team ended up with the Silver Medal at the Satabadado Stadum. 
Anika Seneviratne and Anjalika Kurera lost their individual matches and in the Doubles, Alana Seneviratne and Ruchika Wijesuriya also lost their game. 

Karate

Sri Lanka added two Silver Medals in karate through T. K. H. Lakmal (individual) and Akila Harhini Bandara (individual) while the Women’s kumite team won the Bronze Medal.

Pistol shooting

The Sri Lanka Women’s 25m Pistol Shooting Team comprising of Ruwini Abeymanne, Gimhani Kendawela and Amali Kulatunga won the Silver Medal behind India. 
In addition, the Sri Lanka Men’s Team won the Bronze Medal in the 50m rifle 3position event behind Pakistan and Bangladesh. 

The Sri Lanka Men’s Team comprised of Mangala Samarakoon, P. K. Danushka and Y. K. Kodikara.

Aruna Darshana (left) in action