MANAMA, Bahrain, October 23 (ePRESS) – Sri Lanka’s Lahiru Achintha made history by winning the country’s first-ever gold medal at the Asian Youth Games, setting a new Games record in the boys’ 1500m event at the 3rd edition held in Bahrain.
Achintha produced a brilliant run to clock 3 minutes 57.42 seconds, the fastest time ever recorded in Asian Youth Games history. His superb performance gave Sri Lanka a historic gold, marking a proud moment for the island nation in athletics.
China’s Lihua Sha finished second with 3:58.73, while Ho Chun Au of Hong Kong claimed the bronze medal with a personal best time of 4:05.09.
The young middle-distance star from St. Aloysius College Ratnapura displayed outstanding pace and confidence from start to finish, announcing his arrival as one of Asia’s brightest young talents.
The 16-year-old Achintha said, “I am really happy to win the first-ever gold medal for Sri Lanka in Asian Youth Games history. I dedicate this medal to my parents, my coach, and my school principal. This is my second international competition, and I hope to become an Olympian for Sri Lanka in the future,” said Lahiru Achintha after his historic gold medal.
Adding more joy to Sri Lanka’s success in Bahrain, Nethmi Gimhani secured a bronze medal in the women’s 1500m final, clocking 4 minutes 52.32 seconds. Gimhani, who is from St. Andrew’s College, Puttalam, won Sri Lanka’s first medal at the 3rd Asian Youth Games — a remarkable feat in her first-ever international competition.
Expressing her joy after the race, Gimhani said, “I am thankful to my parents and coach for this medal. It is the result of their dedication and my effort. I am really happy to win a medal in my first international competition and the first medal for the country in this year’s Games. I hope to win more medals for Sri Lanka in the future.”
With these two medals — Achintha’s gold and Gimhani’s bronze — Sri Lanka rose to the top ten countries in Asia at the Day 1 of the Games, a remarkable achievement for the South Asian nation competing among the continent’s best young athletes.
Sri Lanka celebrates podium finish as Gimhani takes 1500m bronze
