Subasinghe looking forward to achieve personal best in Tokyo 

by Reemus Fernando  

When he was at Buluwala MV a school from Kurunegala, Saman Subasinghe never took athletics seriously. He would take part in sports meets but there was no persevering in track and field sports. He cannot remember taking part in Divisional and Zonal meets when he was at school. Even after joining Sri Lanka Navy he hardly had any idea of taking athletics seriously. He joined Navy in 2008 and was injured the following year in a hand grenade explosion. It took seven more years after the injury, for him to find his talent in sprinting. Though Subasinghe competes as a Para athlete in the T47 category in 400 metres he has often competed against able bodied athletes at national level. And now five years after joining Navy’s disabled pool Subasinghe is looking forward to produce his best at 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.

“I look forward to do my best in Tokyo. Training is going well and I am confident that I can produce my personal best here,” said Subasinghe in an online interview with The Island from Tokyo.

“It was able seaman Wanniarachchi who first spoke to me about Para Sports. After he influenced me I joined the Navy disabled pool in 2016 and commenced training under Navy’s physical training instructor Harischandra.”

The very year he started raining, a chance meeting with athletics coach Sajith Jayalal made him think seriously on representing Sri Lanka at Paralympics.

“I was training with the Navy pool at Diyatalawa when I first met Jayalal sir in 2016. After observing my running he said that I had the potential to compete for Sri Lanka. From then on I started training seriously,” said Subasinghe.

Months after training with Jayalal he ran his first 400 metres in a time of nearly 54 seconds. It took only a year for him to be among the top four athletes of his category in Asia.

In 2018 Subasinghe competed in the Asian Para Games in Jakarta and clocked a time of 50.16 seconds to finish just outside a podium place.

He has gone from strength to strength since then though the Covid 19 pandemic disrupted training plans during the last few months.

Sajith Jayalal believes that his charge will be able to produce his personal best in Tokyo. “Achieving the personal best at the Paralympics is a victory. I am confident that he will be able to achieve that,” said Jayalal.

Subasinghe will be competing in an event where Sri Lanka tasted the first Paralympics medal success in 2012. His competition will be held on Friday (Sep 3).

Name:

Subasinghe Morawaka Arachchilage Saman Subasinghe. 

Date of Birth:

22nd October 1990 

School:

Buluwala MV 

Club:

SL Navy 

Coach:

Sajith Jayalal 

Category:

T47 400m