PATIALA: Sri Lanka's middle-distance runner Nimali Waliwarsha and sprinter Nadeesha Ramanayake are among the prominent athletes will compete in the five-day National Inter-State Athletics Championships starting here on Friday. While Nimali will compete in the women's 800 metres, Nadeesha will be seen in action in the women's 400m. Both Nimali and Nadeesha will aim to improve their performance to earn tickets to the Tokyo Olympic Games, starting on July 23. The Olympic qualifying time in the women's 800m is 1 minute 59.50 seconds while Nimali's personal best is 2 minutes 02.58 seconds clocked in 2017. IANS