Jenkins Secures Silver in Asian U-18 Championship

Janith Lakshan Jenkins won Sri Lanka’s first medal at the 6th Asian U-18 Athletics Championship in Saudi Arabia, claiming silver in the triple jump event.

Jenkins, who hails from St. Sylvester’s College, Kandy, recorded a personal best leap of 15.10m in his final attempt despite a challenging -2.3 wind to secure second place. He was jointly leading the competition alongside Saudi Arabia’s Ahmed Mohammed (14.96m) after the third attempt before China’s Ma Boyu overtook them with a jump of 14.97m.

China’s Dong Zhiyuan responded with a 15.07m leap in the fifth attempt to take the lead. However, Jenkins trained by Nuwan Etipola fought back with his 15.10m jump in the final attempt, briefly securing the top position against unfavorable wind conditions. Dong then capitalized on a favorable +1.8 wind in his last jump, delivering a personal best of 15.53m to clinch the gold medal. China’s Ma Boyu settled for bronze with 14.97m.

Another Sri Lankan athlete, Hansana Jayasinghe, son of former national triple jump record-holder Sanjaya Jayasinghe, finished seventh with a jump of 14.55m.