Susanthika to run both 100 and 200m at world meet - Lakbimanews

Susanthika to run both 100 and 200m at world meet

Champika Fernando

Susanthika Jayasinghe has slipped back on her decision to skip the shorter sprint at this year’s World Athletics Championships in Osaka this month.
Thus, the renowned sprinter will feature in the 100m dash in addition to the longer version, 200m dash. Jayasinghe earlier said she would only concentrate on the 200m dash at the World Championships, as she is focused on winning her second medal at the event.
Jayasinghe clocked 22.38 seconds ten years back in Athens to raise the Lankan flag high on air as she won country’s first ever medal, a silver at the meet.
Jayasinghe, who is currently in Los Angeles for a brief training stint before the mega event in Japan, clocked a improved 11.19 seconds to win gold at the recent Asian Championships; thereafter has been advised to compete in both sprints.
“She informed me of her decision,” said Prema Pinnawela, athletics secretary.
Jayasinghe has never won a medal beyond Asia in the 100m dash as she is a vulnerable starter.
“I have a very poor start which I couldn’t get over,” she said earlier reasoning out her decision to skip the 100m dash.
Jayasinghe, Sri Lanka’s only competitor at the World meet, will fly directly from the USA to Japan where a host of Sri Lankan officials are set to accompany the star-sprinter.
Meanwhile, former Sri Lanka high jump champion Nagalingam Ethirveerasingham, who helps the champion sprinter in the USA told LAKBIMAnEWS, that Jayasinghe is well focused on the event.
“We couldn’t get Tony (Campbell) this time as he is in Europe with his athletes. But I have got a very good coach, who has trained a number of USA national athletes. He has given Jayasinghe the workouts. I am helping her,” Ethirveerasingham, who won Sri Lanka’s first-ever Asian Games gold medal in high jump, said.
“She is doing very well. I expect her to run faster than her personal best times in the 100m and 200m. To me that is the most important achievement. It is an added bonus if those times are good enough to get a medal,” he further said.
Meanwhile, the Olympic bronze medallist Jayasinghe has been offered a further training stint in the USA from January to July in view of the next year’s Beijing Olympics.
“I expect her to train in Los Angeles under the same coach from January till July 2008 to prepare for Beijing. It’ll give her a chance to get a medal better than bronze. I hope the government will help her to train in LA for seven months continuously,” he further said.

Dilantha wins on loaned engine in Malaysia

Dilantha wins on loaned engine in Malaysia

By Channaka de Silva

Sri Lanka’s international headline maker Dilantha Malagamuwa once again brought glory to his country by winning the latest round of Malaysian Super Car series at Malayasia’s Formula I circuit in Sepang on Sunday, despite competing on a loaned engine.

The Japan-based champion had sent the engine of his Porsche to Germany for repairs but was stranded on the eve of the race as the engine had not arrived back on time when Team Michelin generously offered him the engine of a car they had in Malaysia.

The more amazing fact about his victory is that Malagamuwa could not take part in Friday’s testing as he was without an engine.

Malagamuwa’s engine was re-built in Germany before the last Asia GT championship and Malagamuwa went onto win the Asian GT despite the re-built engine still having defects. Soon after the race he was forced to send it back to Germany to get the engine back to shape but it had still not arrived back in Malaysia even by Friday for the Sunday’s race.

In the first race of the Sunday, defending champion Malagamuwa who last year became the first non-Malaysian ever to win the coveted title finished second behind his main rival Wira Dani Daim of Malaysia who competes on much more powerful car.

The Sri Lankan driver used an old set of tyres in the first race as the second race was the more important event.



At qualifying, Malagamuwa was only the third fastest behind Daim and Peter Hills. “I did the qualifying with an old set of tires and was only 0.2 seconds behind Peter but Wira was 2 seconds faster. I was not worried about the qualifying as I had confidence in the race.” Explained Malagamuwa later.

Despite running on old tyres, Malagamuwa was just four seconds behind the winner Daim in the first race where Angus Kirkwood finished third.

Both Daim and Kiekwood drive a car called Radical SR3 which is very much faster than Malagamuwa’s Porsche and also weighs only 770Kg as against Malagamuwa’s car which weighs 1240kg. “It is a big handicap but I still could keep up and beat them. But every one ran new tires in the first race so I knew I could win the second race. It was a great tactical move” Malagamuwa said.

In the second race, Malagamuwa used new tyres and grabbed the lead from the first corner and went onto win it with ease.

Within the first 2 laps he got a lead of about four seconds over Daim. “The first two laps are very important as the tyre temperatures are low and it is difficult to post good lap times” described Malagamuwa and added “After a few laps, I couldn't see anyone in my mirrors and I took it easy after the 10th lap. Still, when I finished, I had a 14-second lead over Peter Hills who finished second and a 17-second lead over Wira who was third. My plan worked and we were able to win” said a proud Malagamuwa who is now leading the series for the first time this year by three points of Daim.

Malagamuwa has now accumulated 105 points while his closes rival Daim has 102 points.

Peter Hills who finished second to Malagamuwa races on a special Mazda with a very light weight body and a very special engine. “The Radicals and the Mazda which are almost like Formula cars has a big advantage but still experience counts a lot” said Malagamuwa who is sponsored by Japanese business tycoon Hayashi Yoshiyuki. VRD Motor Sports my engineers and Michelin Tyres and Porsche also give him support. “My special thanks to Ian Geekie, Manager of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia for all the advice and support” said a grateful Malagamuwa.




Dilantha MALAGAMUWA
Car No : 6
Class : A
Nationality : Sri Lankan

Date of birth: 24 June 1963
Residence: Japan
Profession: Company Director
Hobbies: Music, traveling, helping underprivileged children


Racing History :



14 years of racing experience, over 100 victories in all types of cars, Competed in Formula Ford, F3, Formula Nippon, Japan GT, Daytona 24hr, Bathurst 24hr, first non-Japanese Asian to drive in Formula Nippon
2004
Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia – 8 th Class A, 9th Overall
2005 Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia – 6 th Class A, 6th Overall

Sri Lankan athletes stranded in Amman

Sri Lankan athletes stranded in Amman

Namal Pathirage reporting from Amman, Jordan

The Sri Lanka athletic contingent that won three gold medals two silver medals and two bronze medals at the Asian Athletics championships were forced to return to Sri Lanka in two batches as officials failed to secure airline seats for the whole team to travel together.

Team members are reported to have been disappointed over the development as they wished to return as one unit after producing such a good performance.

The five members of the silver medal winning 4X400 men’s relay team, coach Sunil Gunawardena and masseur R.P. Anura had to stay back in Amman while the rest of the team left for Sri Lanka.

The first batch is to return to Sri Lanka today.

The Sri Lanka men’s 4X400 metres relay team was to take part in the Afro-Asia championships to be held in Algeria tomorrow and were to fly there from Amman directly to take part in it.

However the trip has been cancelled with no reason given.

Sri Lanka team manager M.W. Nimalsiri told the “Daily Mirror” that he cannot take responsibility for the separation of members of the contingent.

“They appointed me as the manager forcibly. I did not like to accept it. I only wanted to come here as a representative for the Asian Athletics congress. The Association’s secretary and the officials who booked air tickets should take responsibility for this”, Nimalsiri said.

The team will have to pay for their food and accommodation and other expenses during the extra period in which they have been forced to stay on.

Coach Gunawardena said that the Association had promised to reimburse the costs.

Susanthika Jayasinghe wins 100 metres gold

Susanthika wins 100 metres gold

Namal Pathirage reporting from Amman, Jordan



Susanthika Jayasinghe clocked an amazing personal best of 11.9 seconds and clinched the 100 metres gold medal with ease as expected at the 16th Asian Athletics championships here yesterday.

The 31-year old Olympic and world championship medallist proved that age has not slowed her down and her personal best comes at a shocking moment when she is making a comeback after an injury.

Another factor that enhanced the value of her performance was that she achieved this excellent timing despite the lack of competition at the championships, hit by the absence of enthusiasm from competitors and a deluge of high profile withdrawals.

After her victory, Jayasinghe claimed that she had only a lukewarm interest in the championships but decided to take part as her fans might develop a misunderstanding about her. She said she was disappointed by the lack of challenge, and said it would only be a matter of time before she completes a gold medal in the 200 metres.

Jayasinghe who took part in Asian championships for the last time in the 2002 edition in Colombo, said however that her real goal was a gold medal at the forthcoming world championships in Japan next month. Jayasinghe won a silver medal in 100 metres at the Asian Games last December in Qatar.

Sri Lanka’s Umanga Surendra finished sixth in the men’s 100 metres sprint clocking 10.36. Qatar’s Samuel Francis who set up a record in the first round further improved his record and clocked a magnificent 9.99 seconds to win the event. Sri Lanka won a second medal at the championships yesterday when Nadeeka Lakmali claimed the bronze in the women’s javelin with a throw of 52.59 metres. Lakmali, the only athlete from Sri Lanka at the championships taking part in field events, is a 25 year old hailing from Kahaduwa MV. She is taking part and is coached by A.G. Rodrigo.