Dulanjalee bids farewell to national athletics, will continue as a mentor

by Reemus Fernando  

High jumper Dulanjalee Ranasinghe who bade farewell to national athletics at the just concluded 99th National Athletics Championships said that she had gained immense satisfaction by competing at top national level and she will continue to be in the field of athletics as a mentor.

“I have immense satisfaction. When I look back, it is all satisfaction that I have gained by competing. If I remained at the village, I would not have achieved what I have achieved as an athlete,” Ranasinghe said in an interview with The Island after winning the women’s high jump title on Sunday.

When she won her first South Asian Games gold medal Dulanjalee Ranasinghe was still studying at Devi Balika, Colombo. Unlike many a young female athlete who give up on sports after leaving school, Ranasinghe remained in the field for more than 15 years.

The 32-year-old registered a height of 1.70 metres to win the gold on Sunday. The next four athletes had 1.60 metres as their best.

“This is my last National Championship. I will compete in the Defence Services and other local meets but not at the Nationals,” said the Sri Lanka Navy athlete.

 “There is a huge vacuum to be filled in our sport with regard to nutritional and psychological aspects. I look forward to contribute to athletics in those areas. Though I have retired from national athletics I will continue to support fellow athletes,” she said.

“I have seen athletes failing to produce their best when their coaches are not around. In Sri Lanka there are times when you have to go for foreign competitions without your coach. You need to address this psychological aspect if we are to do our best,” she said.

 “I am currently gaining knowledge from Daya Rohan Athukorale to be proficient in the field so that I can mentor athletes who will compete for Sri Lanka one day,” she said.

Ranasinghe is one of the very few female high jumpers to have persevered in the discipline for more than a decade. In her peak in 2017 she cleared 1.81 metres, which was just four centimeters below the national record mark of Priyangika Madumanthi.