Officials blunder as steeple chaser denied better timing

Nilani Ratnayake performs at her pet event

Source:Sundayobserver

Blundering officials at the national athletic trials will reduce the chances of steeple chaser Nilani Ratnayake’s qualification rankings to the Tokyo Olympics Games.

Ratnayake will be vying to qualify in the women’s 3000m steeplechase event and currently stands as the 35th in the list.

World athletics will select the top 45 runners for this event to the Olympics.

Her performance was hampered as the officials had mistakenly raised the height of the five steeples that has to be cleared during one round.

The blunder certainly denied Ratnayake of achieving a better timing as she had to go over these steeples 45 times during the seven and a half rounds that has to be completed to cover the distance.

Her coach has lodged a strong protest over the incident and will be expecting a quick solution to this injustice, the Sunday Observer learns. (TBR)