Yupun has Nationals as a last resort

by Reemus Fernando

Sri Lanka Athletics has kept the door open for sprinter Yupun Abeykoon to compete at the 102nd National Athletics Championships to enable him to gain maximum possible ranking points to qualify for the Olympics.

The Italy based sprinter has entered the ‘Road to Paris 24’ Olympic rankings for the first time at the 87th position following his impressive performances at the Anhalt Athletics Championship last week. He has to clock 10.00 seconds or improve his ranking to be within the top 48 to earn the ticket for the Paris Olympics.

Abeykoon needed five top performances in 2024 to break in to the Olympic rankings as he did not compete last year due to injury.

With just a couple of competitions remaining for him to strive for the Olympic berth in the track and field’s most sought after discipline both enthusiasts and athletics authorities are looking at all possible opportunities.

He has to overtake more than two dozen sprinters ranked above him within the next few weeks if he is to brush shoulders with the world’s best in Paris.

“We have discussed the possibilities for Yupun to compete at the Nationals. If he fails to qualify for Olympics before the National Championship then he has the National Championship to strive for the Olympic ticket,” a top official of Sri Lanka Athletics told ‘The Island’ yesterday.

The National Athletics Championship will be held  on June 25, 26 and 27. Yupun Abeykoon, the fastest man in South Asia and the only sprinter from the region to have clocked sub ten seconds in history in the 100 metres has not competed on Sri Lankan soil in five years.

The athletics authorities are leaving no stone unturned in search of Olympic berths for top athletes.

Asian Games medallist Tharushi Karunaratne, Gayanthika Abeyratne and Nadeesha Ramanayake left for Chinese Taipei yesterday to take part in the Taiwan Open Athletics Championships. They will be joined by Aruna Dharshana and Dilhani Lekamge who competed in China over the weekend. The top athletes seeking Olympic qualifications will compete on June 1 and 2 in Chinese Taipei.

According to Sri Lanka Athletics there will be at least three other overseas competitions for Sri Lankan athletes to fight for Olympics qualifications before the deadline close for qualifying standards on June 30.