Top ranking augurs well for Gayanthika ahead of Olympic year

By Reemus Fernando

She was not among the medal winners at the Asian Games. While her junior counterparts hogged the limelight at the quadrennial event, veteran runner Gayanthika Abeyratne had to settle for a fourth place finish as her best feat at the Asian Games. But the 37-year-old is standing tall above the rest of the field as Sri Lanka’s highest ranked female athlete according to World Athletics’ yearend overall rankings.

The athlete trained by Sajith Jayalala has 1200 ranking points, some 14 points above second ranked Tharushi Karunaratne, against her name. Incidentally, it is the third consecutive year that Abeyratne has concluded the year as the highest ranked Sri Lankan athlete. She has been able to maintain the top position thanks to her impressive performances in both the 800 metres and the 1500 metres.

It is a richly deserving position for the diehard veteran who was instrumental in changing Sri Lanka’s track and field landscape which was once dominated by sprinters. Ratnayake Central Walala runner Karunaratne produced a rare moment of joy for Sri Lankans in the 800 metres at the Asian Games but the discipline first got the attention of the track and field fans thanks to the mouth watering contests Gayanthika set up with Nimali Liyanarachchi during their eventful careers. The close contests of Sooriyawewa duo could be witnessed beyond Sri Lankan shoes when they competed for medals at the Asian Championships.

In 2017, Nimali and Gayanthika shared the gold and silver in the 800 metres at the Asian Championships. Both had tasted Asian Indoor success in the discipline by that stage.

This year Gayanthika commenced the season with an outstanding 2:01.54 seconds feat in the 800 metres at the Selection Trial at Diyagama in March. She was second to Karunaratne. But the competition between Gayanthika and Karunaratne took the event to a new height as they owned Asia’s top two fastest performances. A month later she clocked 4:12.05 seconds in the 1500 metres at the same venue.

What elevated Gayanthika to the top position in the Sri Lankan rankings were her feats at two ‘C’ category events in Japan in May and the performances at the Asian Athletics Championships in Thailand where she won bronze medals in the 800 metres and the 1500 metres. At the Asian Games, she finished just outside the podium in the 1500 metres.

Her yearend position will augur well for Gayanthika ahead of an Olympic year. According to her coach achieving qualifying standards for the global event in Paris will be a top priority for her in 2024. Achieving it will be a huge accomplishment for the veteran who has remained an unsung hero despite winning accolades at Asian level.