Sri Lanka athletic team with officials: Seated from left : Kalinga Kumarage (Captain), Harjan Rathnayaka (Team Coach), Ajitha Naragala (Team Manager), Maj. Gen. Palitha Fernando (President – SLA), Saman Kumara Gunawardana ( Secretary – SLA), Irangani Rupasinghe (Team Official). Back row from left: Pabasara Niku, Dinuka Deshan, Rajitha Rajakaruna, Pasindu Kodikara, Aruna Darshana, and Dilhani Lekamge
The Sri Lanka team for the IAAF 19th World Athletic Championship 2023 will leave for Budapest, Hungary tomorrow. The team is captained by 400m champion athlete Kalinga Kumarage who is a key member of the 4x400m men’s relay team.
The World Athletic Championship is scheduled to be held from August 19–27 and this is the key event of world athletic calendar in which 2,087 athletes from 207 countries will take part in this event.
Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) President Major General Palitha Fernando said that six men and one woman will take part in this Hungarian tour. The 4 x 400 m relay team and women’s javelin thrower Dilhani Lekamge are the Sri Lanka team members .
Meanwhile, South Asia’s fastest sprinter, Yupun Abeykoon, who qualified for the Budapest World Athletic Championship and middle distance women’s athlete Gayanthika Abeyratne have withdrawn from the world athletic championship . Abeykoon met Sri Lanka Athletic Secretary Saman Kumara Gunawardena and of his unavailability for the games . However, both Gayanthika and Yupun are focused on Asian Games in China next September.
Sri Lanka will be represented by Aruna Dharshana (400m men), Kalinga Kumarage, Pabasara Niku, Dinuka Deshan, Rajitha Rajakaruna, Pasindu Kodikara, Aruna Dharshana (4x400m men’s relay), and Dilhani Lekamge (Javelin Throw women).
Sri Lanka has won two medals at the World Athletic Championship through Susanthika Jayasinghe: 200m silver in 1997 (Greece) and 200m bronze in 2003 (Osaka).
Meanwhile World Athletic Congress also scheduled to be held during the world athletic championship in Hungary and Sri Lanka Athletics Vice President G.L.S Perera will take part in this event while SLA President Major General Palitha Fernando and Treasurer Shantha de Silva also with the team as delegates. Vice President Ajith Naragala also accompanied the team as a Manager while former National athlete Harjan Rathnayaka is the coach of the team.
Dhammika Ratnaweera