Colombo, Mar 3.10PM – Sri Lanka is celebrating a historic achievement in athletics as three relay teams have qualified for the World Athletic Relays for the first time ever. Among them, the Men’s 4x400m relay team aims to secure Olympic qualifications in the upcoming event on May 4 and 5 at Robinson National Stadium in Nassau, Bahamas.
In this global championship, where only the top 32 teams in the world are eligible to compete, Sri Lanka’s Men’s 4x400m, Women’s 4x400m, and Mixed 4x400m relay teams have secured their spots after a decade-long wait since the inception of the World Athletic Relays in 2014.
However, due to an injury, Sri Lanka Athletic will only field the Men’s 4x400m relay team, omitting Asian Games gold medalist Tharushi Karunarathna, who was part of both the Women’s 4x400m and Mixed 4x400m relay teams.
The Sri Lanka Men’s 4x400m relay team comprises Kalinga Kumarage, Aruna Dharshana, Pasindu Kodikara, Dinuka Deshan, and Rajitha Rajakaruna. This formidable team has already demonstrated their prowess by clinching the gold medal in the Asian Athletic Championship held in Bangkok last year, clocking in at 3:01.56.
Currently ranked 15th in the world, the Sri Lanka Men’s 4x400m relay team has their sights set on breaking into the top 14 to secure their ticket to the Paris Summer Olympics later this year. World Athletics has summoned the best 32 teams for this prestigious two-day championship, with all three Sri Lankan teams meeting the qualifying standards, with the Men’s 4x400m team particularly standing out in 15th place globally.