49th National Sports Festival: Pasindu, Sayuri crowned Best Athletes

Western Province clinches Overall Title

Western Province's Pasindu Malshan (L) and Sayuri Mendis (R) receive the Best Male and Best Female Athlete awards, respectively, from Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya

By Susil Premalal

Pasindu Malshan (Western Province) and Sayuri Mendis (Western Province) won the awards for the Best Male and Best Female Athletes at the track and field events of the 49th National Sports Festival (NSF) yesterday.
The three-day NSF athletics meet, organised by the Ministry of Sports and the Department of Sports Development, concluded yesterday at the Dadella District Sports Complex in Galle under the patronage of Prime Minister Dr. Harini Amarasuriya.
Pasindu received recognition for his outstanding performance in the men’s triple jump with a distance of 16.37 metres, while Sayuri impressed with her victory in the women’s 400m, clocking 54.06 seconds. Based on these performances, both were crowned the best athletes in their respective categories.
This year’s NSF track and field events were notable for producing only two new meet records.
In addition, coaches commented that this edition of the NSF was the weakest in the festival’s history due to the minimum facilities provided.
Meanwhile, the men’s championship was claimed by Central Province, while the women’s championship went to Western Province.
Furthermore, Western Province once again dominated the overall NSF Championship across 33 sports, securing 209 medals (93 gold, 55 silver, and 61 bronze). Central Province finished second with 175 medals (43 gold, 64 silver, and 68 bronze), while Southern Province came third with 131 medals (33 gold, 52 silver, and 46 bronze).
Retired Test cricketer Angelo Mathews, hailing from Southern Province, received a special award from Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya for his contribution to sports.