Sri Lanka’s Badminton Players Off to a Strong Start at the Asian Youth Games in Bahrain
Updated Date: 27th October, 2025
Manama, 27 October 2025 – Sri Lanka’s young shuttlers began their campaign on a high note at the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Bahrain today, producing a series of impressive victories to mark a promising start in the badminton competition.
In mixed doubles, Pamudu Randiligama and Nethmi Rathnayake displayed fine coordination to defeat Kazakhstan’s Malikzhan Mustafa and Alissa Kuleshova in straight sets 21-13, 21-14. Sithuli Ranasinghe continued Sri Lanka’s winning momentum in the women’s singles, cruising past Laos’ Muthita Kinnavong 21-4, 21-12, while Randiligama also triumphed in the men’s singles, overcoming Kazakhstan’s Timur Burkhanov 21-13, 21-15. In the mixed doubles Round of 32, Keneth Aruggoda and Ranasinghe put on another dominant performance, defeating Bahrain’s Ali Kefar Alashoor and Fatima Ehsan Hasan 21-10, 21-4. However, Nethmi Rathnayake’s spirited effort in the women’s singles Round of 32 ended in defeat to India’s Vennala Kalagotla, 23-21, 21-10.
Meanwhile, in basketball, the Sri Lankan girls’ 3x3 team of Sithuki Sihansa, Binuthi Jayasinghe, Tinara Perera, and Pramuditha Chandrasekara put up a valiant effort in the quarterfinals before bowing out to a strong Chinese side 18-9.
In swimming, several Sri Lankan athletes turned in commendable performances across a range of events. Lithum De Silva finished second in the Boys’ 400m Freestyle Heat 1 with a timing of 4:23.05, while Lehara Melegoda also claimed second place in the Girls’ 400m Freestyle Heat 2 with a time of 4:54.83. Julie Hope followed closely in third in the same heat with a time of 4:59.11. In other events, Syesha Anthony recorded 27.88 seconds in the Girls’ 50m Freestyle Heat 6, Sasha Rajapakse clocked 29.02 seconds in Heat 4, and Lithum De Silva returned to finish seventh in the Boys’ 50m Freestyle Heat 4 with 25.20 seconds. Yashith Wijesundera and Jayden De Silva also competed in the Boys’ 100m Butterfly, registering 59.04 and 59.03 seconds respectively in their heats, while Adeetha Siriwardena finished fourth in the Boys’ 200m Backstroke Heat 1 with 2:17.48.
In weightlifting, K. B. Venura impressed in the Boys’ 65kg Group B, finishing second with a total lift of 235kg, demonstrating both strength and potential.
The Esports competition saw Haiyan Aqwam representing Sri Lanka in Street Fighter 6 (1v1 Boys Group B). Despite a spirited effort, he faced strong competition, with defeats to opponents from Chinese Taipei, UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Jordan, all with a score of 1-0.
As of today, Sri Lanka’s overall medal tally at the 3rd Asian Youth Games stands at one gold, one silver, and four bronze medals. This includes Lahiru Achintha’s historic gold in the Boys’ 1500m with an OCA Youth Games record, the Boys’ Medley Relay silver from Bingumina Adithya, Chamindu Sathsara, Nirudaka Vishal, and Shanuka Costa, with reserve Chamith Loshana, and bronze medals from Nethmi Gimhani Pulle in the Girls’ 1500m, Shanuka Costa in the Boys’ 400m, Chathura Dulanjana in the Boys’ Javelin Throw, Dilni Nethsala in the Girls’ Triple Jump, and Kaya Daluwatte in the Girls’ Golf event.
Team Sri Lanka continues to display determination and excellence across multiple disciplines as the Games in Bahrain progress toward their final days, marking the nation’s most successful Asian Youth Games campaigns in history.
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