Piyush Kumar (IND) 100m gold medallist at the South Asian Games (© Dinesh Weerawansa)
Indian Piyush Kumar and Sri Lankan Jani Chaturangani Silva were crowned the fastest man and woman in South Asia respectively on the fourth day of the 9th South Asian Games as athletic competition continued at the Jinnah Stadium here in Pakistan.
Kumar clocked an unimpressive 10.44 seconds to win the men’s 100m gold medal while his team mate M. Vilash bagged the silver in 10.62. Kumar said it was a dream come true to emerge the fastest man of the eight-nation Games.
“I expected a greater challenge in the final but it was not so. The two athletes from Sri Lankan posed early challenge in the heats but I kept my cool. I went to my goal with a plan,” a happy 100m champion said.
Though the two Sri Lankan sprinters Umayanga Surendra (10.56) and Chammika Ramanayake (10.74) won their respective semi-finals in the men’s 100m, they were off colour in the final. Ramanayake only managed to clock 10.77 in finishing fourth in the final.
India defeated Sri Lanka’s short distance supremacy in men’s 100m final but the Indian Ocean island managed to win the women’s 100m gold even in the absence of their star woman sprinter and 200m gold medallist, Susanthika Jayasinghe, who was forced to pull out due to a leg injury. Her injury is supposed to be a minor one but she has nevertheless decided not to take any risk as she is making preparations for the Athens Olympics in August.
Emerging young athlete Jani Chaturangani Silva (SRI) did not make Sri Lanka feel the absence of Jayasinghe as she won women’s 100m final. Silva clocked 11.81 seconds to maintain Sri Lanka’s track supremacy.
In the men’s 400m, Sri Lanka team captain Rohan Pradeep Kumara won the race in 45.89 just two days after convincingly taking the men’s 200m gold medal in 20.99. His team mate Prasanna Amarasekera accounted for the silver medal with a time of 45.93 seconds.
Manjula Kumara Wijesekera (SRI) improved on his Sri Lanka national mark of 2.18m to win men’s High Jump gold medal. Today, he cleared 2.20m to finish first while his team mate Nalin Priyadharshana took the silver with 2.11m. Wijesekera has been Sri Lanka’s emerging star in high jump after his dream debut of 2.18m when finishing ninth at the last IAAF World Junior Championships in Jamaica and is currently training in the United States.
“The advanced training I have been following in the States has helped me to improve my technique and skills. It is amazing to win a gold medal for my country. This would inspire me to look for the future with great confidence,” he said.
India won five of the ten finals held today while Sri Lanka gave a close run winning four gold medals. Pakistan won one final.
Ranvijay Singh (IND) cleared 17.41m to win the men’s shot put gold medal while Sangeetha Mohan won women’s high jump with a performance of 1.81m.
Sri Lanka won a surprise medal in men’s 3000m steeplechase thanks to Upendra Bandara who clocked 8:57.04 seconds to take gold. Pakistan’s only athletic gold of the day came in men’s hammer throw when Nadeem Ahamed threw 62.88m, a mere 0.03m ahead of his team mate Habib Singh who took silver.
India continues to head the 9th South Asian Games athletic competition medals table with 11 gold, 10 silver and 9 bronze medals. In the latest athletics medal standings, Sri Lanka is placed second with nine gold medals, six silver and three bronze medals. Pakistan takes the third spot with three gold medals, four silver and nine bronze medals.
Dinesh Weerawansa for the IAAF
Results
Men
100m
1. Piyush Kumar (IND) 10.44
2. M. Vilash (IND) 10.62
3. Muhammed Shahbaz (PAK) 10.67
400m
1. Rohan Pradeep Kumara (SRI) 45.89
2. Prasanna Amarasekera (SRI) 45.95
3. Saghir Ahmed (PAK) 46.75
3000m Steeplechase
1. Upendra Bandara (SRI) 8:57.04
2. Rajindra Bahadur (NEP) 8:57.30
3. Safdar Nazmir (PAK) 9:10.53
High jump
1. Manjula Kumara Wijesekera (SRI) 2.20m
2. Nalin Priyadharshana (SRI) 2.11
3. Omveer Singh (IND) 2.09
Shot Put
1. Ranvijay Singh (IND) 17.41m
2. Kulvender Singh (IND) 16.71
3. Ashraf Ali (PAK) 16.41
Hammer throw
1. Nadeen Ahamed (PAK) 62.88m
2. Habib Ullah (PAK) 62.85
3. Nirbhay Singh (IND) 62.77
Women
100m
1. Jani Chathurangani Silva (SRI) 11.81
2. K.M. Greeshma (IND) 11.96
3. Poonam Tomer (IND) 11.98
400m
1. S. Geetha (IND) 52.25
2. Chitra Soman (IND) 52.43
3. Neuman Nehar (BAN) 55.46
1500m
1. Madhuri Singh (IND) 4:31.16
2. Sumeera Zaheer (PAK) 4:31.41
3. Preeja Sreedharan (IND) 4:32.24
High jump
1. Sangeetha Mohan (IND) 1.81m
2. Sahana Kumari (IND) 1.75
3. Priyangika Madhuwanthi (SRI) 1.69
Dinesh Weerawansa for the IAAF
