The 42nd National Sports Festival drew to a close  at the Duraiappah Stadium in Jaffna on Sunday with some stellar performances from the Western Province.

The Western Province contingent won their 18th consecutive overall championship at the games.The festival which was held in Jaffna for the very first time, saw the participation of athletes from all nine provinces in the country.

The closing ceremony was held on Sunday under the auspices of President Maithripala Sirisena.

K.S.L. Wickremasinghe from the Southern Province was adjudged the fastest athlete at the competition.

Wickremasinghe won the Men’s 100 metres event today, with a time of 10.6 seconds.

Meanwhile, S.L. Vidanadurage from the Uva Province was adjudged the fastest female athlete, winning the women’s 100 metres with a time of 11.9 seconds.

M.I.M. Miswan from the Eastern Province who won the Men’s Long Jump with a leap of 7.2 metres was adjudged the best sportsman.

Nimali Liyanaarachchi who set a new Sri Lanka record in the women’s 800 meters was adjudged the best sportswoman.

Four new Sri Lanka records and three new tournament records were set at the games this year. With a total of 105 medals, the Southern Province contingent emerged runners up.

The Western Province won the overall championship for the 18th consecutive time, with 113 gold medals and a total of 254 medals.

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