Sri Lanka to field only 4 athletes for World Youth Athletics Championship due to lack of funds

From left: Yamani Dulanjali (400m hurdles), Chamil Kumarasiri (triple jump), Roshan Dhammika (high jump) and Dharshana Rajapaksha (400m hurdles)

By Hishan Welmilla

Sri Lanka has nominated four budding athletes for the 9th IAAF World Youth Athletics Championship to be held from 15-19 July in Cali, Colombia. The event will be conducted by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)

While 13 athletes have been qualified to compete in the event, due to the unavailability of funds for the air tickets, nine athletes had to stay back and therefore only the medal winning prospects has been included to the Sri Lankan contingent. The cost of a return air ticket to Colombia will cost Rs. 300,000.

Four athletes who have won medals at the recently-concluded Asian Youth Games will get the opportunity to compete in their events. Yamani Dulanjali (400m hurdles), Roshan Dhammika (high jump), Chamil Kumarasiri (triple jump), Dharshana Rajapaksha (400m hurdles)

At the Asian Youth Athletic Champion held in Qatar returned Yamani Dulanjali won the Gold medal for girls’ 400 metres hurdles with a timing of 1:1.27 minutes with a personal best performance and Dharshan Rajapaksha bagged the Silver in boys’ 400 metres hurdles. 

Roshan Dammmika Ranathunga won a Silver medal with 2:12m jump in the boy’s high jump finals. Triple Jumper Chamal Kumarasiri secured a Silver medal. Lanka. Kumarasiri jumped his personal best 15:39m to win the medal in his last attempt.

Tyrone Indika has been appointed as the Coach while K.A.D. Nandawathi will join the contingent as the lady chaperone. The Sri Lankan contingent will leave for Colombia on 13 July.

The IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics is a global athletics event comprising track and field events for competitors who are 17 or younger. It was first held in 1999 in Poland

The ninth edition of the event will be held at the Estadio Olimpico Pascual Guerrero in Santiago de Cali, Colombia which is named to honor the poet Pascual Guerrero.