Olympian Yupun Abeykoon’s 60 metres Indoor National record is among several national indoor records under threat when Sri Lanka’s top sprinters vie for honours at the World Indoor Athletics Championships in Nanjing China from today.

The country’s athletes do not get many chances to take part in indoor competitions. Most of the current national indoor records are owned by athletes who were based in Europe or USA when the records were established. Italy based sprinter Abeykoon established the current national indoor 60 metres record of 6.59 second in 2021.

With a world class field around him and a faster track providing support Chamod Yodasinghe is looking forward to improving his personal best (6.63secs) which is just four milliseconds behind Abeykoon’s national record. “Events in the magnitude of World Championships are conducted on tracks that support faster performances. We look forward for several record breaking performances,” Yodasinghe’s coach Sanjeewa Weerakkody told ‘The Island’ before the team’s departure to Nanjing.

Weerakkody is also the coach cum manager of the Sri Lanka team for Nanjing.

Former Royal College hurdler Kaveesha Bandara is the current national record holder in the 60 metres hurdles. His outdoor record mark of 7.80 seconds is faster than Chaminda Fonseka’s 1998 indoor record of 7.90 seconds.

Similarly Kalinga Kumarage too will be eager to lower legendary Sugath Thilakaratne’s indoor record mark of 46.70 seconds.

With this competition offering high points for top performances all three will be aiming at improving their rankings as well in a World Championship year.

The men’s 4×400 metres indoor national record is another record that is under serious threat. The current national indoor record of 3:11.29 established at the Asian Indoor Championship in Macau in 2007 will be on the back of Kumarage’s mind when he anchors the event in the final.

It will be the first time the country’s women’s 4×400 team will be running at an indoor championships. Whatever the time produced by the quartet anchored by Nadeesha Ramanayake will become a national record.

The Sri Lanka women’s 4×400 team will vie against the US, Poland, China, India and Australia teams. The US team is the undisputed favourites. According to World Athletics USA’s squad features three of the four women that earned 4x400m silver in Glasgow last year – Alexis Holmes, Bailey Lear and Quanera Hayes – along with Rosey Effiong, Karimah Davis and Maya Singletary.

 by Reemus Fernando 

Sri Lanka at World Indoor Athletics Championships 

In the absence of Aruna Dharshana, Kalinga Kumarage is shouldering an extra burden in living up to the reputation of Asian Champions in the 4×400 metres relay when the World Indoor Championship commences in Nanjing China on Friday.

The men’s 400 metres is Sri Lanka’s biggest strength in track and field events though two javelin throwers currently dominate world athletics top lists for the 2025 season. With the track and field season still in its start, the country’s top sprinters were yet to flex their muscles when the opportunity arose for the 400 metres sprinters  to compete at the World Indoor Championships.

Kalinga Kumarage

Kumarage is the only experienced campaigner in the men’s 4×400 metres relay team scheduled to compete against world leading USA, Jamaica, Hungary, Nigeria and China in the men’s 4×400 metres final. Both Aruna Dharshana and Kalinga Kumarage had been involved in some of the fastest relay performances for Sri Lanka at international arena including the Asian Games, Asian Championship and Asian Relays. But Dharshana is not available for the event as he is currently competing in Australia. Kumarage is the only member from the gold winning team at last year’s Asian Relays competing in Nanjing. However, it will be a huge opportunity for Randima Madushan and the two juniors Sadew Rajakaruna and Omel Shashintha when they brush shoulders against top sprinters in a global final.

Apart from the relay, Kalinga will also compete in the men’s 400 metres where he will look to produce a top performance in a bid to improve his rankings.

Sri Lanka is fielding its biggest contingent to a world indoor championship this year. The team is inclusive of sprinter Chamod Yodasinghe who will compete in the 60 metres, hurdler Kaveesha Bandara (60 m hurdles) and the men’s and women’s 4×400 metres relay teams.

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Rajakaruna clarifies on behalf of Dharshana

Asanka Rajakaruna, the coach of leading 400 metres specialist Aruna Djarshana said that his charge was unaware of the 4×400 metres relay invitation extended by World Athletics to Sri Lanka for this week’s World Indoor Championships.

He said this with reference to our article on Tuesday which quoted a Sri Lanka Athletics official as having said that Dharshana had decided to stay in Australia to complete his commitments and was not available for the World Indoor Championships.

“We were not informed about the World Indoor Championships. We have always given priority to national duty. Dharshana would have taken the opportunity with open arms had he been informed of the opportunity to compete at the World Indoor Championship,” Asanka Rajakaruna told The Island.

Sri Lanka received the invitation to include relay teams for the World Indoor Championships well after Aruna Dharshana left for Australia.

by Reemus Fernando