In a thrilling marathon selection event organized by Sri Lak Athletics Club and overseen by Sri Lanka Athletics, RMS Pushpakumara from the Sri Lanka Army, RW Rathnapala, and M Sivarajan from the Sri Lanka Air Force emerged victorious.
The competition, held on Sunday, aimed to pick participants for upcoming marathons, including the Asian Marathon, Hong Kong/Vietnam Marathon, and Bangabandu Marathon slated for early next year.
The 30km race kicked off at the Diyatha Uyana, Battaramulla and concluded at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall (BMICH), marking Sri Lak Athletic Club’s inaugural Road Race of its kind.
Around 40 marathoners, representing the tri-forces and Sri Lak Athletic Club, took part, with six women and 17 men crossing the finish line. The Open Women’s Race saw Sri Lanka Navy’s PM Perera clinching the first spot, followed by WM Herath of the Sri Lanka Army and NL Ariyadasa of the Sri Lanka Air Force in second and third places, respectively.
With no recent marathon events in major sports competitions, Sri Lanka Athletics used this trial as a selection process for Sri Lanka’s representation in upcoming foreign competitions over the next six months. The marathon, though slightly shorter at about 30km, served as a crucial step in the selection process for the Hanoi International Marathon in Vietnam on January 1, the 19th Asian Marathon Championships in Hong Kong on January 21, and the Bangabandhu Dhaka Marathon in Bangladesh on February 9.
Considering the need for athletes to rest for three months after a full marathon, this trial was a strategic move. Sri Lanka Athletics plans to select two marathoners for the Bangabandhu Marathon, one for the Hong Kong marathon, and another for the Vietnam marathon.
Looking ahead, Sri Lanka Athletics aims to build a marathon pool for both men and women, targeting the South Asian Games in Lahore, Pakistan, scheduled for early 2024. The marathon showcased the top long-distance runners from Sri Lanka.
Results:
Men:
1 MS Pushpakumara (SL Army) 1:42.07, 2 TW Ratnapala (SL Air Force) 1:42.23, 3 M Sivarajan (SL Air Force) 1:43.14, 4 NS Karunaratne (SL Navy) 1:43.37, 5 MS Kumara (SL Navy) 1:43.17, 6 PP Somarathna (SL Army) 1:46.29, 7 AM Wijeratne (SL Army) 1:48.23, 8 MU Kumara (SL Army) 1:51.07, 9 IM Hewage (SL Navy) 1:54.29, 10 DS Premaratne (SL Navy) 1:56.23, 11 Priyankara Bandara (Sri Lak AC) 1:58.11, 12 MR Bandara (SL Police) 1:58.45, 13 HN Priyankara (SL Army) 1:59.18, 14 MR Karunaratne (SL Army) 2:02.27, 15 PN Soysa (SL Air Force) 2:03.42, 16 AN Tharuka (SL Army) 2:05.34, 17 MK Ariyaratne (SL Police) 2:12.48.
Women:
1 PM Perera (SL Navy) 1:56.59, 2 WM Herath (Army) 2:01.15, 3 NL Ariyadasa (SL Air Force) 2:02.53, 4 SD Liyanage (SL Army) 2:03.43, 5 MN Nidarshana (SL Army) 2:07.13, 6 Velu Krishanthini (SL Navy) 2:18.20.
