Yupun, Gayanthika set to commence track and field campaign

Commonwealth Games 2022

by Remus Fernando

Sprinter Yupun Abeykoon and 800 metres runner Gayanthika Abeyratne will commence Sri Lanka’s track and field campaign at the Birmingham Commonwealth Games when they compete in their respective heats today.

Abeykoon, who became the first South Asian to run the 100 metres dash below 10 seconds when he clocked 9.96 seconds in early July, is the first Sri Lankan featuring in the men’s 100 metres of Commonwealth Games since 2010 Delhi Games.

After Shehan Ambepitiya competed in the men’s 100 metres at the Delhi Games, no Sri Lankan sprinter has featured in the most sorted after track event at these games.

Speaking to his fans following his record breaking feat in July, Abeykoon revealed that competing in the men’s 100 metres final of the Commonwealth Games was one of his targets for the season.

The 27-year-old is the fastest athlete in Asia this year based on his 9.96 feat and he will be brushing shoulders against some of the best athletes in the world with a strong Caribbean presence expected in this discipline.

The former Joseph Vaz College, Wennappuwa sprinter will also be aiming to better his recent World Championship performances. At the World Championships in Oregon, Abeykoon was eliminated in the heats after being placed fifth in heat three where he clocked 10.19 seconds.

Gayanthik will compete in the women’s 800 metres heats with the hope of qualifying for the next stage. With some of the power houses of middle distance running fielding athletes for these disciplines she will have a tough competition qualifying for the next round.

At the last edition, she competed against the likes of Caster Semenya, the eventual champion and was eliminated in the heats. She returned a time of 2:04.72 seconds at the Gold Coast event. But when she competes in Birmingham she is a different athlete. She has three national records under her belt with a personal best of 2:01.44 seconds from March in her pet event this year. At the World Championships in Oregon, the athlete trained by Sajith Jayalal returned a time of 2:02.35 seconds, Sri Lanka’s second fastest performance ever in this discipline.

Sri Lanka is represented by six track and field athletes at the Commonwealth Games. The others are long jumper Sarangi Silva, steeplechase athlete Nilani Ratnayake, javelin thrower Sumedha Ranasinghe and 400 metres specialist Kalinga Kumarage.

Track and field is one of the four sports to have won Sri Lanka gold medals at these games though it has not tasted medal success during the last two decades. The gold medal was won by Duncan White at the 1950 games. Sriyani Kulawansa in the women’s 100 metres hurdles (Silver- in 1998) and Sugath Thilakaratne in the men’s 400 metres (bronze in 1998) are the only other track and field athletes to have won medals at these games.