Sri Lanka finished second overall at the fourth South Asian Senior Athletics Championships held in Ranchi, India, showcasing an impressive all-round performance.
At the conclusion of the three-day event, Sri Lanka secured a total of 40 medals — 16 gold, 14 silver, and 10 bronze — placing just behind India, who topped the table with 20 gold medals.
Sri Lanka dominated the final day of competition, winning eight gold medals. The day began with Dasuni Kaushalya clinching gold in the Women’s 400m Hurdles with an impressive time of 58.66 seconds. Araliya Sathsarani followed closely, earning silver with a time of 59.24 seconds, ahead of two Indian athletes.
In the javelin events, national record holder Rumesh Tharanga claimed gold in the Men’s event with a throw of 84.29m, while Sumedha Ranasinghe took silver with 81.62m. Veteran athlete Dilhani Lekamge continued Sri Lanka’s success, winning gold in the Women’s javelin with a throw of 60.14m.
Harsha Karunarathne triumphed in the Men’s 800m, clocking 1:59.96 to secure another gold for Sri Lanka. In the Women’s Long Jump, Madushani Herath leaped 6.23m to claim gold, while Methmi Wijesuriya dominated the Women’s 10,000m, finishing first with a time of 35:39.95.
Sri Lanka’s sprint queen Safiya Yamic re-wrote the record books, winning the Women’s 200m event with a remarkable time of 23.58 seconds, finishing ahead of two Indian competitors.
The Men’s 4x400m relay team capped off Sri Lanka’s successful campaign by winning gold in the penultimate event of the championship, clocking 3:05.12 at the Birsa Munda Athletics Stadium in Ranchi.
India topped the overall medals table with 20 gold, 20 silver, and 18 bronze medals. Nepal finished third with six medals, while Bangladesh earned three bronze medals and the Maldives one. Bhutan failed to secure any medals at this year’s championships.
