KAYA DALUWATTE MAKES HISTORY WITH SRI LANKA’S FIRST GOLF MEDAL AT AN ASIAN YOUTH GAMES
Updated Date: 25th October, 2025
Manama, 25 October 2025 – Sri Lanka’s rising golf star Kaya Daluwatte etched her name in the history books by winning the bronze medal in the Girls’ Golf Individual event at the 3rd Asian Youth Games 2025 in Bahrain, marking the nation’s first-ever medal in golf at this prestigious continental competition.
Competing at the Royal Golf Club, Kaya displayed remarkable consistency and composure throughout the three-day tournament. She finished with a total score of 202 (−14), placing her among Asia’s best young golfers. The leaderboard was dominated by China’s talented trio, with Jinghan Cui securing gold with a total of 195 (−21), followed by Yijia Ren at 198 (−18) and Menghan Li at 200 (−16). However, as per the Asian Youth Games Technical Committee’s rule preventing one nation from claiming all three medals in a single sport, the bronze medal was officially awarded to Kaya.
Kaya’s path to the podium was built on a series of outstanding rounds, beginning with a steady 69 (−3) on Day 1, followed by a stunning 64 (−8) – one of the finest rounds of the tournament – before closing with another controlled 69 (−3).
In the Boys’ Individual event, Reshan Algama completed his campaign with a total of +1 (217 strokes), finishing in seventh position after rounds of +2, −2, and +1. Adithya Weerasinghe placed 32nd with +20 (236 strokes), while Jevahn Sathasivam finished equal 35th with +26 (242 strokes). In the Boys’ Team event, the trio of Reshan, Adithya, and Jevahn placed 10th overall with a combined score of +21 (453 strokes) after rounds of +7, +10, and +4.
Sri Lanka’s athletics contingent also delivered strong performances on the track and field. Tharani Nirmina qualified for the Girls’ 200m Final after finishing fourth in her heat with a time of 24.61 seconds. In the Girls’ Long Jump Final, Dilni Nethsala placed eighth with a best leap of 5.50 metres, while in the Boys’ Long Jump, Rusith Nimsara finished sixth with 6.75 metres. In the Boys’ 2000m Steeplechase Final, Chirantha Deshan clocked 6 minutes and 30.75 seconds.
In the Girls’ 400m Hurdles Final, P. H. Amaya narrowly missed out on a medal, finishing fourth in 1 minute and 1.72 seconds. The bronze medal position was claimed by Uzbekistan’s Shodiyona Rahmonova, who recorded 1 minute and 1.46 seconds. In the Boys’ 800m Final, Nethan Willaddara placed seventh with a timing of 2 minutes and 1.93 seconds.
The Beach Volleyball teams also fought hard in the knockout stages, with both the boys’ and girls’ pairs bowing out in the quarter-finals after battling some of Asia’s strongest nations. The boys’ duo of Didula Maheema and Kusal Dulmina put up a strong resistance against China’s Ma Xiangrui and Xin Zhimiao, but China prevailed 2–0 (21–17, 21–17). In the girls’ event, Shadeesha Dilrukshi and Chamudi Adithya were defeated 2–0 (21–15, 21–8) by Thailand’s Natthawiw Khampila and Butsaba Hanmon.
In the boxing ring, Sri Lanka’s Janindu Dhananjaya showed determination in the Boys’ 50kg Preliminaries but fell short against Turkmenistan’s Ibragim Iskanderov, who won by a 5–0 unanimous decision.
Meanwhile, in Esports, Sri Lanka’s Haiyan Aqwam competed in the E-Football 1v1 Boys Group D category, putting up a strong challenge in all his matches before losing to Iraq, Bahrain and Indonesia, all with a score of 1–0. In the Girls’ category, Sayuni Sadushika represented Sri Lanka in Group A, securing a win against Mongolia’s Tsengeg Batbayar (1–0) after close defeats to UAE, Thailand, KSA, and Laos, all by 1–0 scorelines.
In Taekwondo, Sri Lanka’s Savidya Ritigahapola fought in the Girls’ -49kg Round of 16 against Iran’s Helia Ebrahimian, but the Iranian athlete advanced with a 2–0 victory.
With Kaya Daluwatte’s historic bronze medal adding to Sri Lanka’s growing medal tally, Team Sri Lanka continues to display promise and perseverance across all disciplines, proudly representing the nation’s sporting spirit on the continental stage in Bahrain.
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