Akalanka hogs limelight at John Tarbat Meet

By Susil Premalal

Promising Sri Lanka junior athlete Ayomal Akalanka of Ambagamuwa MMV stole the limelight on the second day of the 91st Ritzbury Sir John Tarbat Senior Athletic Championships, conducted by the Sri Lanka Schools Athletics Association and continued at the Sugathadasa Stadium in Colombo yesterday.

The Trinbago 2023 Commonwealth Youth Games Silver Medallist produced another stellar performance as he bettered his own record within 24 hours while competing in the Boys’ Under-18, 400m hurdles event.

Akalanka powered his way to clinch his pet event with a record time of 51.85s in the final, just a day after he had clocked 52.03s and shattered the record of 54.04s held by Uditha Chandrasena of Maris Stella College, Negombo in 2015.        

Earlier, Akalanka had won the Silver Medal at the Commonwealth Youth Games in Trinidad and Tobago by returning a time of 51.61s.  

Meanwhile, two other new meet records were established with D. Fernando of Lyceum, Wattala accounting for the Girls’ Under-16, 200m title with a time of 25.61s to erase the previous best of 25.65s.

In addition, M. G. T. A. Premasiri of Wickramabahu National School, Gampola clinched the Girls’ Under-16, 800m event with a new mark of 2:14.02s while overcoming the previous record of 2:17.43s.