Tharushi needs top-grade competitions to improve rankings

by Reemus Fernando

Despite winning the gold medal with a record-breaking performance at last week’s Asian Athletics Championships, the Ratnayake Central Walala athlete Tharushi Karunaratne is ranked fourth in Asia in the women’s 800 metres according to the latest rankings published by World Athletics.

No one in Asia has run faster than the athlete trained by Susantha Fernando this year, but then why hasn’t Tharushi’s ranking improved? Simply, the grades of the competitions she has taken part in this year were not high enough for her to climb to the top. Tharushi has run faster than the athletes who are ranked above her in Asia but the top three have run their slower races at top-grade competitions  rated by World Athletics.

Tharushi ran her first Asian leading time of 2:01.39 seconds at the 1st Selection Trials for Asian Games and Asian Championships in March at Diyagama (F grade). That performance fetched her merely 15 placing points. Gayanthika Abeyratne who was placed second with Asia’s second fastest time in that meet is currently ranked one place above Tharushi in the third place in Asia thanks to her performances in ‘C’ grade competitions in May in Japan.

Some of Sri Lanka’s top athletes used their own funds to take part in a couple of top-grade competitions this year in a bid to improve their rankings. The likes of Aruna Dharshana and Gayanthika Abeyratne benefited from these events as they secured better positions in the rankings.

Higher rankings are vital for athletes to earn their places in the World Championships.

The World Championships, the premier track and field event of the world will be held from August 19 to 27 in Budapest. Athletes will have to reach tough qualifying standards or be ranked among the first few dozen athletes in the world to reach Budapest. Incidentally, India’s KM Chanda who was beaten by Tharushi at the Asian Championships is currently ranked within the required range to reach Budapest.

These ranking places are set to change within the next couple of weeks as the National Championships of different countries are scheduled for this month. Top positions earned by athletes at their respective National Championships will bode well for them to increase their points. The points carried forward from the National Championship will not only benefit athletes looking forward to the World Championships but also for next year’s Olympics.

At present Italy based sprinter Yupun Abeykoon is the only Sri Lankan athlete who is assured of his place in the World Championships.  The likes of Tharushi need top-grade competitions to improve their rankings but who will provide the necessary funds for them to reach the top?