Historic 100 metres feat and country’s relay chances

by Reemus Fernando

With Italy based sprinter Yupun Abeykoon claiming the national record in the 100 metres on Tuesday, Sri Lanka now has three current athletes who have run the glamour event of the track and field sport under 10.30 seconds, a strong position not many countries of this region can boast of. The recent performances of these three sprinters and the other emerging athletes are indicate a bright prospect in the 4×100 metres relay. Leading athletic analyst and Sri Lanka Athletics statistician Saman Kumara says that a strong team inclusive of these sprinters can strive for sub 39 seconds in the 4×100 metres relay. Sub 39 seconds will help the country strive for Olympic qualifying rankings for the postponed Tokyo event.

Incidentally, the former national record holders of the 100 metres Himasha Eshan and Vinoj Suranjaya were part of the team that established the current National men’s 4×100 metres record in 2018. Shehan Ambepitiya who was part of that team has retired. You need only simple mathematics to understand what four inform sprinters, inclusive of the incumbent record holder of the 100 metres and two former record holders, could do to the 39.08 seconds 4×100 metres national record established during the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018.

Sri Lanka won the 4×100 metres relay at the regional South Asian Games ousting India in December. But that doesn’t get Sri Lanka anywhere closer to an Olympics spot in the 4×100 metres. You need to be ranked within the first two dozen teams in the World Athletics rankings to be eligible for an Olympic spot in the 4×100 metres relay.

It will be too early to predict the country’s prospects, with the locally trained athletes still waiting to flex their muscles in the aftermath of the covid 19 pandemic but authorities can be optimistic about chances at Asian events. It is incumbent upon authorities to look after these promising athletes as the country’s current pool of men’s 100 metres sprinters are in a historic position.

The country’s 100 metres had experienced somewhat similar position in the early 50’s when the likes of Sumanthiran Nawaratnam (Summa Nawaratnam), Oscar Wijesinghe and B.C. Henricus, all who had held the record, used to form formidable relay teams in the illustrious company of Duncan White.

The men’s 100 metres record had remained stranded for more than one and half decades when Himasha Eshan broke it in Guwahati in 2016. After the exploits of Sriyantha Dissanayake, country’s only 100 metres medalist at an Asian Games (1990 Beijing) and Chinthaka Soyza in the 90s, no Sri Lankan had run an Olympics 100 metres. But since Himasha’s feat the record has changed hands three times a promising sign for better days ahead.

After the world moved to 100 metres from the 100 yards Sri Lanka had only 11 record holders from 1949 to 2020. The record had improved 17 times within that period.

The coveted record had been under the belt of some outstanding individuals who were household names. Osmand de Silva (10.2 secs, hand timing) who held the record for three years from 1931 later became country’s Inspector General of Police. Double international Summa Nawaratnam who improved the record more than once was once called the fastest in Asia. Olympian Sunil Gunawardena who held the record for two decades since 1970 later became national coach and was an influential head of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka. K.L.F. Wijedasa who took the record in 1955 was the national coach in 70s and 80s. Upali S. Gunaratne who held the record when the event was conducted as 100 yards in 1938 later became a Vice President of the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka.