Junior Star Aruna Dharshana beat all the seniors to win the National title in the 400m at the 96th National Athletics championship continued at Sugathadasa stadium yesterday.
Dharshana clocked 46.16 seconds to beat Senior champion Kalinga Kumarage (46.310 who WAS placed second while MGA Premakumara secured the third place with 47.09 and defending National champion Dilip Ruwan finished fifth clocking 47.39 .
A total of seven meet records and four Sri Lanka records and two Sri Lanka records along with two meet records were set on the day.
In the Decathlon event, Ajith Karunathilaka collected 7356 points to renew his own Sri Lanka record while Heptathlon star Lakshika Sugandhi renewed her own record collecting 4906 points.
Nilani Ratnayake who set a new meet record in the 3000M Steeplechase on Friday got into action again and set a new meet record in the 1500m clocking 4 minutes 17.52 seconds which is the second best time by a Sri Lankan only behind the time of 4 minutes 16. 42 seconds of Champika Dilrukshi in 2012.
Nadeesha Ramanayake won the girls 400m with a personal best of 53.30 seconds while Nirmali Madushika who ran a personal best on Friday finished second with 53.89 seconds and the defending national champion Upamalika Rathnakumari finished third with 54.26 seconds.
Himasha Eashan became the fastest athlete of the meet with 10.41 seconds which was a new meet record while Rumeshika Ratnayake was the fastest woman of the meet clocking 11.72 in the men and women’s 100M event.
Sanjaya Jayasinghe in the triple jump cleared 16.08m in his last attempt to take the gold ahead of National record holder Eranda Fernando who finished second with 16.06m.