Sri Lankan Shuttlers Continue Strong Run as Wrestlers Make Debut at Asian Youth Games in Bahrain
Updated Date: 28th October, 2025
Manama, 28 October 2025 – Team Sri Lanka continued their spirited campaign at the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Bahrain today, with the badminton team putting up another strong showing while Sri Lanka’s young wrestlers made their debut on the mats.
In badminton, Sri Lanka’s mixed doubles pair Pamudu Randiligama and Nethmi Rathnayake began the day on a high note, overpowering Qatar’s Ahmad Almaki and Noor Abel 2-0 (21-10, 21-3) to advance to the Round of 16. Sithuli Ranasinghe maintained her fine form in the girls’ singles, defeating Aminath Farha of the Maldives 2-0 (21-7, 21-12) to secure a place in the next round.
However, as the competition intensified, the Sri Lankan shuttlers faced tough challenges against regional powerhouses. In the mixed doubles Round of 16, China’s Xing Zhibo and Chen Sihan prevailed over Keneth Aruggoda and Ranasinghe 2-0 (21-16, 21-9), while Indonesia’s Raihan Pramono and Athresia Candani defeated Randiligama and Rathnayake 2-0 (21-6, 21-7). Ranasinghe later met another Chinese opponent, Yin Yi Qing, in the girls’ singles Round of 16, where she fell 2-0 (21-4, 21-3). In the men’s singles, Randiligama produced an impressive win over Cambodia’s Rathana Virasak 2-0 (21-14, 21-10) before bowing out to China’s Luo Jing Yu 2-0 (21-10, 21-8) in the Round of 16. Aruggoda also fought valiantly in his men’s singles Round of 16 match but narrowly lost to Indonesia’s Maharishiel Gain in a three-set thriller 2-1 (21-19, 22-24, 21-10).
The wrestling events saw Team Sri Lanka step onto the mats at the Games for their day 1. In the Boys’ Freestyle 45kg category, Vinod Dilshan secured a commendable 13-8 victory over John Malazarte of the Philippines in the quarterfinal, advancing to the semifinals. Although he fell short against Kyrgyzstan’s Adilet Mukanbetov 10-0 in the semifinal and Uzbekistan’s Mirajol Mukammilov in the bronze medal match, Dilshan’s effort earned praise for his fighting spirit throughout the rounds. In other wrestling events, Dinushanth Sanjeev (60kg), Theekshana Karunarathna (51kg), Savindu Bandara (Girls’ 46kg), and Piyumi Sathsarani (Girls’ 53kg) each put forth determined performances, though they were unable to progress beyond their opening rounds against strong opponents from Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Japan, and Uzbekistan respectively.
Sri Lanka’s swimmers continued to show steady improvement in the pool. In the Boys’ 50m Butterfly, Jayden De Silva finished first in his heat with an impressive time of 27.10 seconds, while teammate Yashith Wijesundera recorded 27.68 seconds in his heat. Among the girls, Lehara Melegoda clocked 1:01.97 to finish fifth in her 100m Freestyle heat, and Syesha Anthony placed sixth with 1:02.36. In the 50m Backstroke, Julie Hope and Sasha Rajapakse recorded times of 31.66 and 33.97 seconds respectively. Anthony also placed fourth in the Girls’ 50m Butterfly Heat 4 with 30.42 seconds, followed by Rajapakse in sixth place with 31.59 seconds.
As of 28th October, Sri Lanka’s overall medal tally at the 3rd Asian Youth Games stands at one gold, one silver, and four bronze medals. Team Sri Lanka continues to carry the nation’s hopes with pride as the Games head toward their closing days in Bahrain, competing with determination and the true spirit of youth excellence.
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