Western Province won major honours at the 37th National Sports Festival by winning the overall championship with a tally of 179 medals as Central and North Western provinces claimed the second and third spots as the games came to a conclusion at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Stadium in Diyagama, Homagama yesterday.
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| Chaminda Wijekoon (462) of Uva province who established a new meet record in the men’s 1500m event runs his way to the finish at the 37th National Sports Festival at Diyagama. - Pic by Ranjith Perera |
Western Province won 81 gold, 53 silver and 45 bronze medals while Central province claimed 39 gold, 38 silver and 65 bronze medals. North Western province claimed 27 gold, 31 silver and 34 bronze medals to secure third place. High jumper Manjula Kumara and 400 meter sprinter Chandrika Subhashini were named as the champion athletes of the 37th National Sports Festival.
Three new meet records were set on the final day as middle distance runners Chaminda Wijekoon and Shanika Samanmali stole the limelight on the concluding day of the 37th National Sports Festival yesterday. In total the three-day track and field event saw eight new meet records being bettered in addition to a national record being equaled as Sri Lanka’s top athletes vied for honours. Favourites in short distance event sprinter Shehan Ambeypitiya and Jani Chathurangi de Silva won respectively the men’s and women’s 100 meter events but failed to better their performances during the meet.
Wijekoon of Uva province took part in his first national competition after returning from the World Championships held in Korea where he clocked 3:44.81 before bowing out from the 1500m semi-finals. Yesterday he clocked 3 minutes 44.16 to establish a new meet record in his event.
Samanmali who represented North Western province timed 4 minutes 25.06 in the women’s 1500 meter to win and establish a new meet record in the event. The three finishers who followed Samanmali clocked inside 4 minutes and 26 seconds to better the previous meet record in the event. The 4x400 women’s replay team of North Western province sprinted with a timing of 3 minutes 45.21 seconds to better the meet record as Western and Southern provinces finished respectively at second and third. |
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