Gold Medallist Dinesh Priyantha Herath of Sri Lanka stands next to the scoreboard showing his World Record throw of 67.79 metres with the Sri Lanka national flag at the end of the men’s athletics F46 javelin final at the Olympic Stadium yesterday (30)[/caption]
Dinesh Priyantha Herath Mudiyanselage alias Dinesh Herath scripted Sri Lanka’s sporting history yesterday (30) as he set a new World Record in the men’s javelin throw.
Herath took part in javelin throw for sportspersons with a single below-or-above-the-elbow amputation, under classification ‘F46’.
He hurled the javelin at a distance of 67.79 metres and won the first-ever gold medal for Sri Lanka in the history of both Summer Olympics and Paralympics.
Suffered injury during war
The proud sponsor of the National Paralympics Committee for over two decades, and the Sri Lanka Army Para Games Committee since 2015, is Dialog Axiata PLC. Dialog sponsored the nine-member Sri Lanka contingent to Tokyo.
Following a remarkable journey from soldier to sporting glory, the Army veteran, Sri Lanka national flag bearer at the Games, and the Sri Lanka team Captain for the event this time, Herath had suffered permanent injury to his left arm during the final stages of the north-east war against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Kilinochchi in 2008.
Herath’s feat on Monday marked the first occasion a Sri Lankan athlete setting a World Record in an Olympics of any kind.
Dignitaries hail achievement
Sri Lanka’s President, Prime Minister, Sports Minister, Opposition Leader, and the chief of the Army all sent immediate congratulatory messages to Herath upon his making of the historic achievement.
Herath, 35, hails from Kekirawa in Anuradhapura and had earlier won a bronze medal at the 2016 Rio Paralympics to create realistic hopes in this year’s Tokyo Games. He thus becomes the first Sri Lankan to win more than medal at either Olympics or Paralympics too.
Herath won the bronze medal at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championship in London and silver at the 2019 World Para Athletics Championship in Dubai. He had won gold at the Asian Para Games too, in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2018.
“Sri Lanka Matha” heard in Olympic Stadium
“I am honoured to have represented my country at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics and bring this victory home,” said Herath.
“I am incredibly thankful to everyone who supported me on my journey, including Hon. Minister of Sports Namal Rajapaksa, my team, the National Paralympics Committee, and our sponsor Dialog for enabling this path towards victory for me and my team since the year 2000,” Herath added yesterday.
By winning the gold medal yesterday, Herath made the entire country proud by making the national flag hoisted high on the Japan National Stadium whilst the “Sri Lanka Matha” national anthem was being aired.
Sports Minister elated
Speaking on this momentous occasion, Sports Minister Rajapaksa said, “It was a defining moment for our nation when the Sri Lankan national anthem echoed across the arena as Dinesh Herath won this historic gold for his country. We are incredibly proud of his achievement.
“We would also like to commend the National Paralympics Committee for enabling these athletes to achieve greatness in a global platform and Dialog Axiata for their unwavering support towards National Paralympics for over two decades and setting the bar for how empowering sports can truly transform lives.”
Immediate promotion in Army
Dinesh Herath was promoted to the highest rank offered to a soldier by the Sri Lanka Army yesterday itself, after his remarkable feat. He is attached to the Gajaba Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army.
Herath, a Sergeant until yesterday, was promoted to the rank of Warrant Officer 1, the Sri Lanka Army said.
He had been promoted to this rank by Chief of Defence Staff and Commander of the Army, General Shavendra Silva with approval of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Secretary Ministry of Defence General Kamal Gunaratne (Retd).
A scintillating throw of 67.79 m
Herath’s four attempts yesterday were recorded as (i) 62.58 m, (ii) 62.19 m, (iii) 67.79 m, and 62.06 m respectively. His impressive third attempt of 67.79 won him the gold.
India’s Devendra Jhajharia won the silver for his best throw of 64.35 m while another Indian, Sundar Singh Gurjar won the bronze for his throw of 64.01 m. The two medals incidentally raised India’s total number of medals in Tokyo Paralympcis to seven, two golds, four silver, and one bronze.
Samitha Kodithuwakku win bronze
[caption id="attachment_158252" align="alignright" width="276"]
Samitha Dulan Kodithuwakku won a second medal for Sri Lanka the same day yesterday - the bronze medal in the ‘F64’ men’s javelin throw for athletes with lower limb deficiencies[/caption]
Meanwhile Samitha Dulan Kodithuwakku, also from Sri Lanka, won a second medal for the country on the same day yesterday - the bronze medal in the ‘F64’ men’s javelin throw for athletes with lower limb deficiencies.
He threw a personal-best distance of 65.61 m in his fourth attempt, out of the six, and remained in contention for the silver until Australia’s Michael Burian’s final throw.
Burian, though, hurled the javelin to a distance of 66.29 in his sixth attempt to clinch the silver. Sumit Antil of India won the gold with an impressive 68.55 m throw.
Sampath Hettiarachchi ninth
Kodituwakku, 31, made his first Paralympic appearance this time in Tokyo. Born in Deniyaya, he had suffered an impairment in his right leg after a tragic motorbike accident and took to parasports in 2017. He serves as a Corporal of Sri Lanka Military Police.
His fourth-place finish in the men’s ‘F44’ category in javelin at the 2019 World Para Athletics in Dubai secured him a berth in Tokyo Paralympics.
The third Lankan participants at men’s javelin yesterday, Sampath Hettiarachchi, a silver medallist at the 2018 Asian Para Games who took part in the same event with Kodituwakku yesterday under ‘F64’ category, finished ninth out of ten by throwing a distance of 49.94 m.
Strength of the sponsors
Country’s Paralympics sponsor Dialog Axiata is also the sponsor of Sri Lanka’s national cricket, rugby, volleyball, and netball teams.
The company is also associated with the President’s Gold Cup in volleyball, national Junior and Senior Netball Tournaments, Inter-club rugby, schools rugby, premier football, inter-school cricket, and junior volleyball whilst also powering the Army Para Games and National Para Games too.