National javelin thrower Dilhani Lekamge produced her season-best performance to win the women’s event on day two of the Selection Trial held at Diyagama on Friday, throwing 58.57 metres to comfortably top the field.
The result comes weeks after Lekamge claimed silver at the Asian Throwing Championships in Mokpo, where her best mark was 56.79 metres — confirming a sustained upward curve in her form as the domestic season builds. Her nearest challenger at Diyagama, D.H. Maduwanthi, managed 51.32 metres.
Reigning national champion Madushani Herath stamped her authority in the horizontal jumps with a leap of 6.18 metres in the Under-23 long jump, further consolidating her position as the country’s leading exponent in the event. The open women’s long jump, contested by several junior athletes, went to G.S. Ranaweera with 5.83 metres.
In the women’s 400 metres final, experienced sprinter Nadeesha Ramanayake was pipped to second place by G.A. Sathsarani, who clocked 53.71 seconds for the win. The men’s triple jump title went to Y.W. Kumara with a leap of 16.28 metres, while Janindu Lakvijaya took the 110 metres hurdles in 14.25 seconds.
The Selection Trial doubles as a qualification window for upcoming international assignments, with Sri Lanka Athletics fielding throwers and jumpers across multiple age categories in a single competition window. Lekamge’s 58.57 metres places her at the head of the women’s javelin pack, joining Rumesh Tharanga’s world No.7 ranking in the men’s event as the headline storyline for the country’s javelin programme this season.
