By The Line Judge

COLOMBO – Amid the gloom of the COVID-19 pandemic, Sri Lankans domiciled abroad are displaying their resilience and talent in the sporting arena, bringing hope for future generations that with a positive attitude nothing is impossible.

Italian-based Sri Lankan sprinter Yupun Abeykoon has emerged as a beacon of light and rekindled hopes of an Olympic medal when he set a new Sri Lanka record in the 100 metres, clocking an incredible 10.16 seconds at an international meeting in Dessau, Germany this week. The 25-year-old shattered compatriot Himasha Eshan’s record of 10.22 to replace the Army ‘bullet’ as South Asia’s fastest man.

Abeykoon has a mountain to climb if is he to conquer the summit but he has proved that with natural progression and concentrated high-performance training, he could attain Sri Lanka’s dream of winning the next Olympic medal. A Sri Lanka record-holder in the men’s 60m indoor as well, Abeykoon anchored the 4x100m relay team which won gold at the 13^th South Asian Games in Kathmandu in December last year.

Ironically, the extremely talented sprinter went back to Italy only in January and is now stuck at an army training centre in Rome, though unlike other athletes he has the facility to train despite the lockdown.

“It’s devastating to know that people die everywhere here in Italy, but my mind is always about Sri Lanka and afraid about what it can do to my little country,” said Abeykoon, who burst into the limelight when he competed at the 2015 Military World Games and took bronze medal in men’s 4×100m relay event.

Sri Lanka has a rich history of producing sprinters from the days of the champion duo Sunil Gunawardena and K.G. Badra to Susanthika Jayasinghe, Damayanthi Dharsha, Sugath Tillakaratne and Shehan Ambepitiya who hung up his spikes in frustration recently. It has been two decades since Susanthika’s silver medal feat at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. It has not been because there is a paucity of talent although no one has close to repeating Jayasinghe’s feat let alone qualifying for the Games.

It has been reported that the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka (AASL) has requested Abeykoon to take part in the National Athletic Championship to be held in December but it is unlikely because of the travel restrictions around the globe. It would be a mistake to uproot him from Italy when he has achieved something impossible even to dream of with the help of his coaches overseas who are reluctant to interrupt his training schedule. Having achieved a 10.16, there is a real possibility of Abeykoon making an impression in the Tokyo Olympics, which has been postponed to 2021. It will require a Herculean effort from Abeykoon to conquer Everest. To maintain this momentum, he needs the blessings and support of the authorities concerned instead of hurdles such as having to appear in selection trials in the country to represent Sri Lanka.

Exceptions must be made to this requirement especially during a global crisis. Instead, the sports authorities should capitalize on his talent and market him as a worthy ambassador by investing in him in the run-up to the Games and lending him support by securing sponsors.

“Absolutely thrilled with the news that the Sri Lankan sprinter Yupun Abeykoon has set a NEW Sri Lanka/South Asia #record in men’s 100m (10.16 sec) in Germany. What an impressive achievement! What a #proud moment for #SriLanka” tweeted Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa who knows what it takes to perform on the international arena having captained Sri Lanka at rugby.

Fortunately, Sri Lanka seems to have a wealth of talent abroad especially in the sphere of sports. In fact, when Sri Lanka had yet to qualify a single athlete for the 2020 Summer Games, in a fairy-tale start to the year Mathilda Karlsson rode in from Sweden after qualifying for Tokyo in show jumping and announced that she would be representing the land of her birth.

Sri Lankans warmly embraced their little princess who was adopted by Swedish parents as a three-month-old baby in 1984 for her magnanimous decision to represent the country in a virtually unknown sport – equestrian.

But sadly due to no fault of hers, Karlsson lost her Olympic qualification when the FEI decided to cancel the obtained Longines Ranking points of the competitions in Villeneuve -Loubet organized at the end of last year. Karlsson suddenly didn’t meet the set Olympic target. The FEI admitted the fault is theirs, as they approved the schedule of the organization. But after complaints were made, the FEI nevertheless decided to cancel the ranking points .She is planning the appeal the FEI verdict with the Lausanne-based Court of Arbitration for Sport.

Another athlete, Canada-based Anna-Marie Ondaatje became the first Rhythmic gymnast to represent Sri Lanka on the international stage. In 2018, 19-year-old Ondaatje participated in both the Commonwealth and Asian Games, writing history for Sri Lanka every time she took the floor. She finished sixth at the Asian Championships, marking the first time a Sri Lankan has made a final in a continental tournament.

Though raised in Canada, Ondaatje’s heart has always belonged to her mother country, a sentiment shared by her father, whose idea it was for her to take up Rhythmic Gymnastics at the age of nine.

American-based long distance runner Hiruni Wijayaratne who holds no less than 10 Sri Lanka records and created history in Kathmandu by becoming the first Sri Lankan to win gold in women’s marathon, is also being earmarked as a wild card entry for Tokyo even if she falls short of the qualifying standard.

Another news which went viral this week was the signing of young Australian attacker of Sri Lankan ancestry Jacynta Galabadaarachchi by English Premier League club West Ham United. The 18-year-old has represented Australia at Under-17 level and was named in an Australia National Team training camp ahead of the 2017 Algarve Cup.

These are positive developments for sports in Sri Lanka which can inspire the younger generation in the country.

-ENCL