Sajith wants Nilani to gain maximum for future success  

World Athletics Championships  

by Reemus Fernando  

Expectations are not high when Nilani Ratnayake competes in the heats of the women’s 3,000 metres steeplechase on day two of the World Athletics Championships in Oregon on Saturday but her coach Sajith Jayalal believes that the diehard distance runner has the opportunity to lay the foundation for future success at this discipline dominated by Kenyans. Ratnayake who improved her national record to 9:40.24 seconds in April had only herself to compete against during this year and her most recent best of 9:46.39 is some 30 seconds behind the seasonal best feats of the top 16 athletes taking part in this competition.

With the 31-year-old also set to compete at this month’s Commonwealth Games, Jayalal said that he wanted his athlete to make the most of the World event to lay a strong foundation to produce her best at the Commonwealth Games.

“It will be a tough ask for her to qualify from the heats as she has not competed against a strong field during this year. She certainly has the potential to run her personal best here,” said Jayalal in an interview with The Island on Friday.

“What I want her is to gain the maximum from this opportunity so that she would be ready for the challenge in the UK,” Jayalal said.

The only Sri Lankan woman to have run the 3,000 metres steeplechase in under 10 minutes, Ratnayake has improved the national record four times since 2015. She first ran the event in under 10 minutes in 2018 when she won the national championship title in a time of 9:46.76 seconds.

In April she won her ninth national championship title in the steeplechase. She first took the title from former champion Eranga Dulakshi in 2013. She has remained unbeaten since 2015, winning eight national titles in a row.

One of the top ten Asians this season her top regional performance came when she almost won a medal at the Asian Athletics Championships in Doha in 2019. A medal looked certain for Ratnayake when she entered the final straight of the 3000 metres steeplechase final with just two athletes ahead of her in Doha. But she tumbled at the final barrier to finish just outside the podium.In the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, the highest major multi-sports event that she has taken part in, Ratnayake finished sixth in a time of 9:54.65 seconds.

Last year, she was the front runner in the race to secure a spot at the Tokyo Olympics but the lack of competition opportunities to improve her rankings disappointed her as she finished just outside the required ranking position at the end of the qualifying period.    The Sri Lanka Army athlete will become the first Sri Lankan steeplechaser to take part in a World Championships when she competes in the heats on Saturday.