Nethmika Madushani Herath of Nannapurawa MV Monaragala excelled at the 21st Asian Junior Athletic Championship in Dubai, where she bagged the silver medal in triple jump with a distance of 13.01 metres. She is the first Sri Lankan to win a medal in this meet on the first day. This meet will continue until the 27th (Saturday).
The 17-member Sri Lankan team included Nethmika, who served as the girls’ team captain and secured this medal. An Uzbekistan athlete won the gold with a jump of 13.3 metres, while a Korean athlete took the bronze with a leap of 12.67 metres.
According to the Secretary of Sri Lanka Athletics, Nethmika’s silver medal marks the 36th medal won by Sri Lankan athletes in this meet series, which started in 1986. It was Sri Lanka’s second triple jump medal, with Vidusha Lakshani winning the first triple jump international medal in 2014. Despite coming from an unknown school in Monaragala, Nethmika’s achievement is remarkable given the lack of facilities. The Sri Lanka under-120 mixed relay team was scheduled to run their heat yesterday,
Dhammika Ratnaweera