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Sri Lankan Athletics is planning to end the medal drought

Author: Reemus Fernando

Sri Lankan athletics yesterday unveiled strict qualifying requirements for next year’s Asian Games as the athletics governing body plans to form an awesome team to end the more than a decade-old medal drought at a four-year event in Hangzhou, China.

The selection criteria established by the Coaching Board require that athletes must be in accordance with the bronze medals of past Asian Games in order to participate in the selections. The strict standards explained in a comprehensive 18-page document require national record scores to be mandatory for choice in a number of areas.

Hard standards

For simplicity, Italian sprinter Yupun Abeykoon, one of the country’s top athletes, will have to cut five milliseconds of his national record to earn a place to represent the country in the 100m men’s individual competition as the qualifying standard is 10.10 seconds.

Despite the fact that Dilshi Kumarasinghe finished third in Asia in the 800 women 800-meter scale, she has to break her national record with a performance of 2: 01.40 seconds or faster if she wants to get to a pet event. Nilani Ratnayake, who almost made it to the Tokyo Olympics, also has to make a record-breaking achievement to reach the 3,000-meter hurdles.

Kalinga Kumaragen, the leading men’s 400-meter sprinter, who reached his personal record of 45.73 seconds in Patiala in June, will have to further shorten by about 0.03 seconds at best if he wants to qualify.

Looks easy for Ushan

Based on this year’s performance, the athlete who is almost certain of his place on the team is U.S. high jumper Ushan Thivanka, whose national record of 2.30 meters in May exceeds the qualifying level (2.25 m).

Achievements in competitions organized by Sri Lankan Athletics and World Athletics Recognized Events between February 2022 and April 2022 will be considered the date of entry on April 30, 2022.

Sri Lankan Athletics will hold test meetings in February-March before heading to the Centennial National Championships (April), which will be considered the final selection test.

The governing body of athletics has also published a standard for access to the pool of the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games. Athletes participating in both the Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games must also undergo mandatory tests and fitness tests to meet set standards. If athletes do not meet the qualifying standards, selectors will fill the given quota in the best ways that are closest to the standards.

Sri Lankan Athletics has set a bold goal of five medals to stop the Asian Games medal drought.

Although Sri Lanka did not win a medal in any sport at the last Asian Games in 2018, the country’s last track and field medals were won at the 2006 Doha Games. meters of silver and 200 meters of bronze won Susanthika Jayasinghe in Doha.