Dilni, Shashintha awarded best athlete titles as Maris Stella, Lyceum share championships

Fourteen-year-old Dilni Nehara Rajapaksha’s outstanding long jump feat towered above the performances of seniors to be bestowed with the best athlete title of the Athletics Championship of the Western Province Schools Games, which ended at Diyagama yesterday.

While Omel Shashintha of St. Sebastian’s College, Kandana received the best athlete title in the boys’ category for his 47.1 seconds performance in the Under 18 boys’ 400 metres, Dilni’s outstanding 6.26 metres feat in the Under 16 girls’ long jump dwarfed the rest of the performances in the girls’ category where some of the medallists from the recently held South Asian Junior Athletics Championship showcased their talent.

The South Asian Junior Athletics Championship participants Jithma Wijetunga and Sandun Kosala, both from Lyceum and Sri Sumangala Girls School Panadura athlete Dilki Nehara were adjudged the most outstanding athletes in their respective age categories.

Wijetunga clocked 55.8 seconds in the Under 20 girls’ 400 metres while Kosala won the 110 metres hurdles in a time of 14.0 seconds.

Ashen Thewarapperuma of Gateway College Rajagiriya (U14 boys 100m – 12.4 secs) and Dhamuki P Wekadapola of Ave Maria Convent Negombo (U14 girls’ 60m – 78 secs) were the winners of the best athlete awards in the Under 14 age category

Meanwhile, Maris Stella stunned Lyceum (163) aggregating 179 points to win the overall boys championship. In the girls category Lyceum won 280 points to win the championship while Ave Mariya accumulated 136 points to be placed second.