Gayanthika confident of qualifying for second round
Sri Lankan 800m champion Gayanthika Abeyratne will compete in the 800m race today at the World Athletic Championship in USA at 5.40 a.m Sri Lanka time).
The 35-year-old experienced athlete is confident that she might qualify for the second round said Sri Lankan team coach Sajith Jayalal in an exclusive interview with the Daily News yesterday.
Gayanthika and Nilani Ratnayake (3000m Steeple Chase athlete) are in USA for this meet and both of them are training with Sajith Jayalal. “Actually here in USA as a coach I have a big responsibility do everything for the athletes. Apart from the coaching, I have to do the part of a doctor physiotherapist, and trainer for the two athletes Nilani and Gayanthika. Yupun Abeykoon who ran a 100m race came with his coach and left for Italy.
Gayanthika Abeyratne who hails from Sooriyawewa presently employed in Sri Lanka Army worked hard for the middle distance events such as 800m and 1500m and she has both events National records. Gayanthika is in good shape to run today while she had training sessions with me before this event and her main objective is to improve her personal best at the 800m said coach Sajith Jayalal. Gayanthika also had a chance to take part at the European circuit meet in Switzerland and this World Championship and all these are very important before the Commonwealth Games, said coach Sajith Jayalal who is the Director of Sports Science Institute attached to the Sports Ministry.
If Gayanthika qualifies for the second round of the 800m she will take part tomorrow once again. After Susanthika Jayasinghe the Olympian Silver medalist none of the Sri Lankan female athletes had qualified for the second round at the World Athletic Championship.
Meanwhile, Nilani Ratnayake the 3000m steeplechase athlete clocked 9:54.10sec and finished overall 39th at the World Athletics Championship competing with the very best.
She was unfortunate to miss out on last year’s Olympic Games but qualified comfortably for the World Championship running even faster than she did before. South Asian fastest man Yupun
Abeykoon couldn’t finish his best in the 100m heat and finished the race fifth with 10.17 seconds on the first day of the World Athletic Championship.