Sri Lanka athletic team with officials.
Seated L-R: Kalinga Kumarage (Captain), Harjan Rathnayaka (Team Coach), Ajitha Naragala (Team Manager), Maj. Gen. Palitha Fernando (President - SLA), Saman Kumara Gunawardana (General Secretary - SLA), Irangani Rupasinghe (Team Official)
Back row L-R: Pabasara Niku, Dinuka Deshan, Rajitha Rajakaruna, Pasindu Kodikara, Aruna Darshana, and Dilhani Lekamge
By Susil Premalal
The Sri Lanka team for the IAAF 19th World Athletic Championship 2023 is scheduled to leave for Budapest, Hungary, tomorrow (August 15).
Out of the 214 IAAF-affiliated associations, 2,087 athletes representing 207 countries will compete in the 2023 World Athletic Championship from August 19–27.
Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) says that six men and one woman will participate in the tournament. International medalist Kalinga Kumarage has been named Sri Lanka’s athletic team captain by the SLA.
Meanwhile, South Asia’s fastest sprinter, Yupun Abeykoon, who qualified for the Budapest World Athletic Championship 2023 in the 100m men’s event, has informed the SLA that he will not participate in the World Athletic Championship due to various reasons. Abeykoon had been included in the Sri Lanka team for the 25th Asian Athletic Championship, but he refrained from participating in that too. Abeykoon has taken the two decisions with the aim of placing first at the Hangzhou Asian Games.
In addition, women’s middle distance Sri Lanka international medalist Gayanthika Aberathna also qualified for the 1,500m but withdrew from participating at the World Championship at the last moment. Gayanthika and her coach, Sajith Jayalal, have together decided to focus on training for the Asian Games in September.
Sri Lanka will be represented by Aruna Dharshana (400m men), Kalinga Kumarage, Pabasara Niku, Dinuka Deshan, Rajitha Rajakaruna, Pasindu Kodikara, Aruna Dharshana (4x400m men’s relay), and Dilhani Lekamge (Javelin Throw women).
Sri Lanka has won two medals at the World Athletic Championship through Susanthika Jayasinghe: 200m silver in 1997 (Greece) and 200m bronze in 2003 (Osaka).
