Akalanka sets national record in Birmingham

Sri Lanka’s Akalanka Peiris established a new national record while competing in the Men’s 50m backstroke at the 22nd Commonwealth Games swimming competition in Birmingham, England yesterday.

Peiris, competing in heat-6 returned a time of 26.15s but had to be content with the seventh place and failed to advance for the next stage.  

Scot Gibson of Scotland won this heat and advanced to the next round along with Srihari Nataraj (India), Mitchell Larkin (Australia), Martyn Walton (Scotland) and Zheng Quah (Singapore).

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Ruchira Fernando had to be content with 16th place in the Men’s gymnastics all-round event at the 22nd Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, England yesterday.

Fernando obtained 10 points in the floor exercise, 12.400 in the pommel horse, 10.450 in the rings, 10.650 in the vault, 11.850 in the parallel bars and 9.700 in the horizontal bar for a final tally of 65.050.

Jake Jarman of England won the Gold Medal in this event with a total of 83.450 while his countryman James Hall took the Silver Medal with a tally of 82.900.

Sri Lanka bowed out from the quarter-finals of the badminton mixed team event of the 22nd Commonwealth Games when they suffered a 0-3 defeat at the hands of Malaysia at the NEC Hall in Birmingham, England yesterday.

The pair of Sachin Dias and Thilini Hendahewa lost the opening Mixed Doubles 14-21, 14-21 against the combination of Kian Meng Tan and Pei Jing Lai while Niluka Karunaratne lost to Tze Yong in the 5-21, 14-21 in the Men’s Singles tie.

Malaysia then sealed the contest in their favour as Jin Wei Goh had the better of Vidara Suhasni 21-9, 21-5 in the Women’s Singles encounter. Susil Premalal reporting from Birmingham