Top four Sri Lankan athletes are expected to participate in the UAE Grand Prix Athletic Championship scheduled for May 3 in Dubai.
This presents an excellent opportunity for Sri Lankan athletes to earn points for ranking aiding them in reaching the Olympic qualification mark, added Sri Lanka Athletic President Rt Major General Palitha Fernando.
Sri Lankan ace sprinter Yupun Abeykoon based in Italy, will compete in the 100m event at the Dubai Grand Prix. Joining him will be Tharushi Karunaratne (800m), and experienced Gayanthika Abeyratne (800m) and Nadeesha Ramanayake (400m). Coaches W.G.M Thushara and Susantha Fernando will accompany the Sri Lanka team.
The Paris Olympic cut-off date is June 30 while Sri Lanka athletes are more focused on this Olympics and the four athletes Yupun, Tharushi, Gayanthika and Nadeesha are the leading athletes for the next Olympics, said SLA President. Sri Lanka Athletics and Sports Ministry came forward to give financial assistance to these four athletes and two coaches. Yupun Abeykoon and his team also hope to come from Italy to take part in this meet while all expenses for Yupun and his coach are also from SLA and Sports Ministry for this tour.
Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Yupun Abeykoon is once again showing good touch on the track, setting a new record of (9.96 sec – the first Sri Lankan to break the 10-second barrier in a 100m event) in 2022, making South Asia’s fastest athlete.During his last event in Italy, Yupun finished with a time of 10.04 seconds in the 100m, and once more, he will face international sprinters at the Dubai meet. Recently, he also recorded a time of 15.19 seconds in the 150m race in Italy, marking his return to competition after nearly a year off due to injury, during which he missed key events like the Asian Games and the Asian Athletic Championships. However, this Dubai race will serve as a significant test for Yupun Abeykoon as he sets his sights on the next Olympics.
According to coach Susantha Fernando, Tharushi Karunaratne, the Asian Games gold medalist, had the chance to win medals at her last three international meets. However, she suffered an injury and was sidelined from the track. Now fully recovered, after seven months, Tharushi will compete at the international meet in Dubai. Tharushi had the opportunity to participate in athletic trials held last week at the Sugathadasa Stadium, where she recorded a time of 53.30 seconds. However, she couldn’t find strong competition there, making the upcoming international meet in Dubai a significant opportunity and a real test, as stated by her coach, Susantha Fernando. The 20-year-old Tharushi last competed in the China Asian Games on October 4, 2023, where she recorded a time of 2 minutes and 01.39 seconds to win the gold medal, making her the youngest Sri Lankan athlete to achieve this feat. Her personal best in the 800m is recorded as 2 minutes and 00.66 seconds at the Asian Championships, and she aims to perform her best in this meet after her recovery period.
Gayanthika Abeyratne, from the Sri Lanka Navy, is currently training at Boralanda, Nuwara Eliya, under the guidance of Sajith Jayalal. The experienced 37-year-old athlete, who hails from Sooriyawewa, last competed in the Birmingham Commonwealth Games, where she recorded her personal best of 2 minutes 01.20 seconds. She is also eyeing the 800m event in the next Olympics. The Olympic standard for the 800m women’s event is 1 minute 59.30 seconds, and both Tharushi and Gayanthika are expected to meet this standard.
The 400m champion athlete, Nadeesha Ramanayake, with her coach T.M.G. Thushara, is expected to reach the Olympic standard of 50.95 seconds. For the 100m men’s event, the standard is 10.00 seconds, and Yupun and Nadeesha are expected to meet this mark. Although the Dubai meet is categorised as a ‘C’ Grade event, international exposure and the points gained are important for the athletes. They have two more ‘C’ Grade and ‘B’ Grade meets before the Olympics to qualify. The Sports Ministry has provided all necessary facilities for the athletes to achieve Olympic qualification, given the country’s strong athletic pool.
Dhammika Ratnaweera