Medals Galore! India Dominate SAAF Senior Championship With Over Half-A-Century Of Medals

Last Updated:October 26, 2025, 23:43 IST

India finished the event at the very top of the table with 58 medals including 20 gold, 20 silver, 18 bronze, while Sri Lanka finished second with 40 medals.

India concluded the SAAF Senior championships with 58 medals. (X)

India topped the final medal table in the SAAF Senior Championships on Sunday while Sri Lanka’s star javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage met expectations by winning gold with a meet record effort. India and Sri Lanka both secured eight gold medals on the third and concluding day at Birsa Munda Stadium.

Fielding a second-string team, India concluded the championships at the top with 58 medals (20 gold, 20 silver, 18 bronze). Sri Lanka finished second with 40 medals (16 gold, 14 silver, 10 bronze).

The championships ended on an exciting note with the Indian women’s 4x400m relay team winning gold in the last event. Neeru Pathak overtook her Sri Lankan rival in the final stretch after trailing Sri Lanka for most of the race.

The 22-year-old Pathirage, who had finished seventh in the World Championships in September, dominated the four-man field with his third-round throw of 84.29m to clinch the gold, surpassing the previous meet record of 75.37m set in the 1998 edition in Colombo.

Pathirage, who finished third in the NC Classic javelin competition hosted and won by India’s two-time Olympic medallist Neeraj Chopra in July, has a personal best of 86.50m.

Compatriot Sumedha Ranasinghe took silver with a throw of 81.62m, while India’s Uttam Patil secured bronze with 76.30m.

“It was my final event of the season, and it went well with the gold in my pocket. I am hoping to improve further in the next season," Pathirage said after the event. Sri Lanka’s Mohammad Yamick achieved a sprint double by winning the 200m gold in 23.58 seconds, adding to the 100m top spot she had secured on the opening day on Friday.

India’s Sakshi Chavan (23.91 seconds) and Neeru Pathak (24.06 seconds) claimed the 200m silver and bronze respectively.

The SAAF Senior Championships returned after 17 years, the last edition being held in Kochi in 2008.

India had also topped the table in 2008 with 57 medals (24 gold, 19 silver, 14 bronze), while Sri Lanka accumulated 7 gold, 9 silver, 15 bronze.

Results:

Men: Javelin: 1. Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage (Sri Lanka) 84.29m; 2. Sumedha Ranasinghe (Sri Lanka) 81.62m; 3. Uttam Patil (India) 76.30m.

400m hurdles: 1. Ruchit Mori (India) 50.10 seconds; 2. Kuda Liyanage Ayomal (Sri Lanka) 50.29 seconds; 3. Karna Bag (India) 51.06 seconds.

Long Jump: 1. Mohd Sazid (India) 7.68m; 2. Wismitha Kumar (Sri Lanka) 7.56m; 3. Sarun Payasingh (India) 7.52m.

800m: 1. D. M. Harsha Karuna (Sri Lanka) 1:51.96; 2. Som Bahadur Kumal (Nepal) 1:52.03; 3. Mogali Venkatram (India) 1:52.37.

10,000m: 1. Abhishek (India) 30:29.46; 2. Rajan Rokaya (Nepal) 30:39.15; 3. Prince Kumar (India) 31:17.37.

Hammer Throw: 1. Damneet Singh (India) 66.99m; 2. Ashish Jakhar (India) 64.68m; 3. K K Damith (Sri Lanka) 46.55m.

200m: 1. Sandeep Singh (India) 21.23 seconds; 2. Rajamuni Indusara (Sri Lanka) 21.42 seconds; 3. Prathik Maharana (India) 21.44 seconds.

4x400m relay: 1. Sri Lanka 3:05.12; 2. India 3:05.38; 3. Bangladesh 3:15.00.

Women: Javelin Throw: 1. Hatarabage Leka (Sri Lanka) 60.14m; 2. Karishma Sanil (India) 55.06m; 3. Deepika (India) 54.87m.

400m hurdles: 1. K.H. Arachchige Dasun (Sri Lanka) 58.66 seconds; 2. Loku Geeganage Aral (Sri Lanka) 59.24 seconds; 3. Olimba Stefii (India) 1:00:21.

800m: 1. Amandeep Kaur (India) 2:04.66; 2. Kodithuwakku Takshi (Sri Lanka) 2:06.51; 3. Thota Sankeertana (India) 2:07.09.

High Jump: 1. Reet Rathor (India) 1.76m; 2. Gamage Ranindi (Sri Lanka) 1.74m; 3. B Supriya (India) 1.74m.

Long Jump: 1. Herath Mudiyans (Sri Lanka) 6.23m; 2. Mubassina Mohammed (India) 6.07m; 3. Bhavani Yadav Bhagavathi (India) 6.02m.

10,000m: 1. W.A. Methmi Rasa (Sri Lanka) 34:39.95; 2. Ravina Gayakwad (India) 34:45.47; 3. Santoshi Shrestha (Nepal) 34:47.77.

200m: 1. Mohammad Yamick (Sri Lanka) 23.58 seconds; 2. Sakshi Chavan (India) 23.91 seconds; 3. Neeru Pathak (India) 24.06 seconds.

4x400m relay: 1. India 3:34.70; 2. Sri Lanka 3:35.71; 3. Bangladesh 3:55.63.

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