Hurdles star Kulawansa says Lanka has medal potential
View(s):By Bandula Molligoda
Five time South Asian Games gold medalist and Commonwealth Games silver medalist, Sriyani Kulawansa, believes that Sri Lanka has the potential to produce more international medal-winners in the hurdles event.
Sriyani Kulawansa with her family now
In fact Sri Lanka has produced a number of medal-winners in the hurdles event including the country’s first Olympic medalist, Duncan White, who also won the Commonwealth Games gold medal and an Olympic silver.
In the recent past top athletes like Mahesh Perera, Chaminda Fonseka and Yamuna Yapa have brought honour and fame to the country with some outstanding performances in the hurdles event.
Kulawansa further noted that the physique of the Sri Lanka’s athletes is suited for the hurdles event and more competitors should be encouraged to participate in this event.
The Project Officer for Athletics at the Education Ministry also stated that at the beginning this event would be tough for competitors but once they master it and find their rhythm it will be very easy to make progress.
She believed that a newcomer to hurdles could become a school champion after training for just two days a week, a national champion after a training of two years and an Asian medal winner after a five-year period of training.
She warned that in the future Sri Lankan track sports would die a natural death if it did not receive proper guidance and attention.
Kulawansa, who had her early education at Udakendawela Junior School and later at Ibbagamuwa Central, recalled her childhood days where she grew up in the remote area of Melsiripura, Ragedera in the Kurunegala District consuming village food like raw red rice, jack fruit and other spices.
The three-time Olympian also said that it was through an extremely difficult path that she reached the international arena where she had to train under trying circumstances, using coir as a replacement for a mattress in the high jump event and using wood as a hurdle.
Kulawansa also recalled that it was after she had triumphed at the all island schools meet that the authorities decided to present a mattress and three hurdles to her school, Ibbagamuwa Central.
She lamented that present sportsmen in the country do not have a real target in their career and have failed to exploit the current facilities which are available freely.Kulawansa said that even the latest running and training techniques adopted by the current World champion is available on the internet instead of in the past where she had to use video technology to improve her standard.
She further noted that there are three promising hurdlers training in the junior national pool: Amali Wijesinghe (St. Joseph’s College Kegalle), Sandeepani (Ferguson Convent Ratnapura) and Priyadharshani (Royal Institute Colombo) who could be elevated to an international standard with the proper guidance and motivation.
| SRIYANI KULAWANSA
INTERNATIONAL MEETS (1989-2004)  Sriyani Kulawansa 100M HURDLES SRI LANKARECORD HOLDER: 12.91secs – 1996 HIGH JUMP SRI LANKA RECORD HOLDER: 1.75m – 1991- 2006 1991South Asian Games, Colombo100m Hur 1st 13.65sec, 1991South Asian Games, Colombo High Jump1st 1.75cm (NMR), 1993 South Asian Games, Dhaka100m Hur 1st 13.78sec (NMR), 1993 South Asian Games, Dhaka 4x100m 2nd, 1995 South Asian Games, Delhi 100m Hur 1st 13.34sec (NMR), 1995 South Asian Games, Delhi 4x100m 1st, 1999 South Asian Games, Katmandu 4x100m 2nd, 1999 South Asian Games, Kathmandu 100m Hur 1st 13.12sec (NMR), 2004 South Asian Games, Islamabad 100m Hur 1st 13.37sec, 2004 South Asian Games, Islamabad 4x100m 1st, 1993 Asian Championship, Manila 100m Hur 2nd 13.38sec, 1995 Asian Championship, Jakarta 100m Hur 1st 13.25sec, 1998 Asian Championship, Fukuoka100m Hur 3rd 13.16sec, 2002 Asian Championship, Colombo 100m Hur 2nd 13.43sec, 1994 Asian Games, Hiroshima Finalist (4th), 1998 Asian Games, Bangkok 100m Hur 3rd 13.08sec, 2002 Asian Games Busan – Injured,1998 Commonwealth Games, Kuala Lumpur 100m Hur. 2nd 12.94sec, 2002 Commonwealth Games, Manchester Semifinalist,1993 World Championship Stuttgart, 1995 World Championship Gothenburg (Captian) 1997 World Championship, Athens (Captian) 1999 World Championship Sevilla Semi-finalist, 2001 World Championship Edmonton, 1992 Olympic Games Barcelona, 1996 Olympic Games Atlanta (Personal best 12.91sec), 2000 Olympic Games, Sydney. |
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