High jumper Manjula out

Sri Lanka received a major blow ahead of this month’s South Asian Games (SAG) as high jumper Manjula Kumara Wijesekera, a potential gold medallist, pulled out due to his university commitments.
The 11th South Asian Games is to be held from January 29 to February 8 in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Manjula, defending gold medallist who also won country’s only gold at the last Asian Athletics Championships clearing a height of 2.23 metres, has said that his university examinations coincide with the Games and opted out.
Manjula has featured regularly at SAF Games since making his international debut in 2001 and has achieved a personal best of 2.27 metres which is the best by a Sri Lankan jumper.
Sri Lanka will field 28 athletes for the Games and will solely depend on young athletic brigade of Shehan Ambepitiya, Chaminda Wijekoon and Keith de Mel.
In track and field events Sri Lanka won 14 gold, 13 silver and seven bronze medals at the last edition held in Colombo in 2006.
– (CF)