Sri Lanka to vie at Asian Relays in Thailand

By: Susil Premalal

(Daily Mirror) - The Sri Lanka Mixed Relay Team will leave for Bangkok on Sunday to participate in the Inaugural Asian Athletic Relay Championships – Paris Olympic Games Qualifying Meet – on May 20 and 21 in Thailand.

The Sri Lanka contingent for the Inaugural Asian Athletic Relay Championships will include 23 athletes (Men and Women) and five coaches.

The Inaugural Asian Athletic Relay Championships will include events for 4X100m Men and Women, 4X400m Men and Women and 4X400m Mixed Relay events.

The competitors for the Asian Relays: (4X100m Men): R. P. K. N. Chathurang, Dineth Induwara, Chamod Yodasinghe, Chanuka Dharmakeerthi, D. P. H. Gamlath and Dineth Senanayake. (4X100m Women): Shafiya Yamic, Rumeshika Rathnayake, Dinara Bandara Dela, Anuruddika Muthukumarana, Dilushani Silva and Medhani Jayamanme. (4X400m Men): Kalinga Kumarage, Aruna Darshana, Dinuka Deshan, Pasindu Kodikara, Pabasara Niku and Isuru Lakshan. (4X400m Women): Nadeesha Ramanayake, Rumeshika Rathnayake, Sayuri Mendis, Nishendra Fernando and Shafiya Yammick.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Elite Pool Athlete Kalinga Kumarage will participate in the Men’s 400m event of the Seiko Grand Prix Meet in Tokyo, Japan on Sunday.

Kumarage, who is making a determined effort to reach the 2024 Paris Olympic qualifications, won the 400m event at the Kinami Michitaka Memorial Athletics Meet in Osaka, Japan with a time of 45.92s. However, the Olympic Qualification standard time is at 45.00s.

Hangzhou Asian Games Gold medalist Tharushi Karunarathna, who pulled out from the UAE Dubai Grand Prix, has decided to withdraw from the Osaka meet due to injury concerns.

Karunaratne has also decided not to participate in the Inaugural Asian Relay Championships 2024, on May 21 and 22 in Bangkok, Thailand.

No Sri Lankan athlete has qualified to participate in the Paris Olympic Games with the Qualification deadline set for June 30.