By Reemus Fernando
Sri Lanka will look forward to winning their first track and field medal at the Asian Games since 2006 when they compete in the 4×400 metres mixed relay at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China today.After veteran runner Gayanthika Abeyratne finished the women’s 1500 metres just outside medals, the relay quartet will look forward to producing a repeat of the Asian Championship performance in the mixed relay.
The country won the silver medal of the 4×400 metres mixed relay at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, Thailand where the quartet of Kalinga Kumarage, Aruna Dharshana, Nadeesha Ramanayake and Tharushi Karunaratne returned a time of 3:15.41 seconds to establish a new national record.
If they win a medal that will be the first track and field medal since 2006 at the Asian Games. Several athletes nearly missed individual medals during the first three days at the ongoing Games.
However, the heavy presence of Kenyan born Bahrain athletes who were conspicuous by their absence at the Asian Championship is likely to pose a threat to the medal aspirations of many as it was proven in the women’s 1500 metres and the 400 metres.
Veteran runner Abeyratne had to be content with a fourth-place finish in the women’s 1500 metres yesterday as she clocked 4:18.77 seconds to complete the event well behind her personal best.
Bahrain athletes Yavi Winfred Mutile won the gold (4:11.65 secs) while India’s Bains Harmilan (4:12.74 secs) clinched the silver. The other Bahrain athlete Yota Marta Hirpato finished in a time of 4:15.97 seconds to grab bronze ahead of Aveyratne.
Sri Lanka’s 400 metres sprinters Kalinga Kumarage, Aruna Dharshana and Nadeesha Ramanayake did well to feature in the men’s and women’s 400 metres finals, but a medal continued to elude them.
They will now be concentrating on the mixed relay, men’s 4×400 metres relay and the women’s 4×400 metres relay.
Sri Lanka have not tasted medal success in track and field at these Games since 2006. The country won two bronze medals at the 2006 Asian Games in Doha. Susanthika Jayasinghe in the women’s 200 metres and the men’s 4×400 metres team of Sugath Thilakaratne, Rohan Pradeep Kumara, Prasanna Amarasekara and Ranga Wimalawansa were the last medallist for Sri Lanka in track and field at these Games.
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