Sri Lanka has dispatched a three-member team of elite athletes to compete at the 20th World Athletics Championships, set to take place in Tokyo from 13 to 21 September.
The team includes men’s javelin throwers Rumesh Tharanga and Sumedha Ranasinghe, alongside 400m sprinter Nadeesha Ramanayake.
Tharanga and Ranasinghe, currently ranked seventh and tenth globally in men’s javelin respectively, both secured direct qualification by surpassing the World Athletics’ qualifying distance of 85.50 metres in recent competitions.
Tharanga’s 86.50m throw in India and Ranasinghe’s 85.78m at the National Trials mark a historic first, with both athletes becoming the first Sri Lankans to directly qualify for the Championships in this event.
Meanwhile, Ramanayake earned her spot through the ‘Universality’ system after notable performances regionally and domestically, including an Asian gold medal in the women’s 400m with a time of 52.61 seconds.
She also boasts gold medals in the women’s 400m relay and mixed relay, representing the Sri Lanka Army.
Ramanayake will be Sri Lanka’s first female competitor at the World Championships since Chandrika Rasnayake ran the 400m in Berlin in 2009.
Sri Lanka’s last medal at the World Athletics Championships came 18 years ago in Osaka, when sprint legend Susanthika Jayasinghe claimed bronze in the women’s 200m.
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