(UTV|COLOMBO) – Western Province won 258 medals including 99 gold, 79 silver and 81 bronze to reign supreme at the 45th National Sports Festival concluded at the Vincent Dias Stadium in Badulla yesterday.
Overall second place was won by Central Province with 149 medals (51 gold, 38 silver, 60 bronze) and North Western Province secured overall third place with 109 medals (32 gold, 33 silver, 44 bronze). Southern, Sabaragamuwa, North Central, Uva, Eastern and Northern Provinces won overall fourth to ninth places respectively.
Southern Province athlete Thivanka Perera who won the men’s high jump gold with a height of 2.12m was adjudged the best male athlete for the ninth consecutive time.
Lakshika Sugandhi of Western Province who won the women’s 100m hurdles event was picked as the best female athlete.
Young athlete Dilshi Kumarasinghe won a gold medal in the women’s 800m clocking 2:10.26min.
She was able to finish easily with no real competition. R. Dulakshi and M C Dilrukshi won Silver and Bronze respectively.
Southern Province dominated the 4x100m relay track in the Men’s category while in the Women’s category it was all Western Province. The 4x100m team comprising Suraj Dinusha, Malin Udayakumara, Dimuthu Kumara and Chamod Yodasinghe won gold with a comfortable lead, clocking 41.77secs. Eastern and Western Province took the Silver and Bronze respectively in the Men’s category.
In the Women’s category it was the dynamite quartet comprising Tharindi Heshani, Sadeepa Henderson, Harshani Jayakantha and Lakshika Sugandi who took the gold in a time of 48.41 secs in the 100m final for Western Province.
National champion from St. Sebastian’s College Moratuwa, Samith Fernando managed to clinch the gold in the Men’s Shot Putt event with a throw of 15.44m which was a far cry from his national record of 16.23m. (Courtesy – DN)
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