Seven athletes compete to grab Asia’s Youth Olympic qualification positions
A team of seven athletes (three boys and four girls), along with three officials, left to Bangkok, Thailand yesterday, to compete in Asia’s Youth Olympic Qualification trials to be held on July 3rd and 4th. The performance levels of the six athletes are equal to medal winning range of the last Asian Youth Athletics Championship.
Sprinter Santhush Weerasinghe, who was a semi-finalist at last year’s IAAF World Youth Championship, was initially selected despite not competing in any events during the year, but he could not justify his selection during the fitness test conducted by AASL and was axed from the team .
However, despite being unsuccessful at the Western Province Athletics Championship due to a minor injury, St. Peter’s athlete Deneth Senanayaka is included in the team. Nevertheless Senanayaka not included in the first 30 of Asian ranking among youth athletes and his selection for the quota of 4 athletes is almost impossible.
Quarter miler Dilan Bogoda is ranked first in Asia in the 400m with a time of 48.55sec and with Asia getting quota of five athletes for the youth Olympics, Bogoda will be one of the favorite to make in to Youth Olympics.
High jumper Seniru Amarasinghe is ranked fifth in Asia and he will have to finish among top four athletes to qualify for the Youth Olympics .In the girls team Gateway sprinter Shelinda Jansen’s 200m time of 24.98 seconds is ranked 9th in Asia, while Asian Junior Gold medalist steeple chase runner Wasanthi Marisstella and Asmika Herath’s could grab both two qualification position for the youth Olympics. .
1500m runner Sammudika Herath’s time is better than the Gold medal winner at the last Asian Youth Championship, but she is ranked 6th in Asia this year and she will have to finish within first three to qualify for the youth Olympic.
Wasanthi who won the Asian junior (U-20) 3000m steeple chase at Japan holds clear edge to win the 2000m steeple chase at Bangkok and closest competitor for her will be her training partner Asmika Herath as pair can grab both position to seal their birth in the youth Olympics.
The Youth Olympic Games will be held in Buenos Aires, Argentina from 6 to 18 October.
