Race against time for Tokyo
Nilani Ratnayaka won a double gold at the 2019 South Asian Games
Sri Lanka’s record holder in the 3,000 metre steeplechase Nilani Ratnayaka is agonisingly close to qualification for the Tokyo Olympics, but is battling a race against time to achieve her dream. She has been diligently undergoing high altitude training in Diyatalawa during the COVID-19 pandemic but lack of international competition has resulted in her slip from 35 to 40 in the world rankings. The forthcoming Athletic Nationals will virtually be a time trial for her to assess her position in the event.
“I could not take part in any competitions because of corona. Even my world ranking has dropped from 35 to 40. I have to get points to qualify for the Olympics. More than that I have to improve my timing. That is my main target,” said Ratnayaka, who has a personal best (PB) of 9 minutes 46 seconds in the 3,000 metre Steeplechase.
“My aim is to do 9:30 or 9:35. It is difficult but I am trying my best,” said the 30-year-old Staff Sergeant attached to the 7th Sri Lanka Army Women’s Corps, who has been based at the Army Training Centre in Diyatalawa since 2012.
“We have not raced for nearly a year. The first race will be the Nationals. We cannot predict the timing we can achieve until we run in the event because we have not raced in a competition for a long time. We have to run in one race to improve in the next one. For any athlete, competition is important,” explained Ratnayaka.
“My focus is to improve my timing. Then I can get selected for all (international) competitions. That is my target. I am working hard to achieve that goal,” she said.
The eldest in a family of three girls from a village in Ratnapura, it was her coach at Sumana Balika Vidyalaya, D.R. Palitha who first felt she was ideally suited for the steeplechase event. “He used to send us for the Athletic National Championships. We used to participate in the Nationals to gain experience,” said the athlete, who has dominated the 3,000m Steeplechase event since 2015.
“It was my mother who put an application for me to get a sports scholarship at Sumana Balika which I joined in Grade 8,” she recalled.
Having displayed her talents as a middle distance runner at the Under-17 level in the 800m and 1,500m, she got placed in the 2,000m Steeplechase event at the Sir John Tarbat Meet before winning the event in the Under-20 age group. She also went onto win the 3,000m Steeplechase at the Junior Nationals.
Her life changed after joining the Army in 2011 when she came under the watch of Sajith Jayalal, now the Director General of the Institute of Sports Medicine.
“I did not join army to do athletics. I joined as a clerk and followed a six-month course. It was while doing duty that I was selected to the Army pool. My timing improved thereafter. We got proper nutrition, equipment and trained with international athletes. The experience I gained helped me improve gradually,” said Ratnayaka, who set her first national record of 10:09.90 in 2015 in Diyagama during the Nationals.
She would go on to set new marks in the 3,000m Steeplechase four times being adjudged Best Athlete at the Nationals for four consecutive years from 2015. Ratnayaka burst into international limelight when she won a double gold at the Thailand Open Championship in 2015 in the 3,000m Steeplechase and 1,500m in which event she ran a PB of 4:17.00 at the 2018 Nationals.
She also set a national record in the 5,000m of 16:17.82 in the Army meet which was broken by Hiruni Wijayaratne at the Nationals last year.
Bronze medallist at the 2016 South Asian Games in 1,500m and 5,000m in which she takes part as support events for the 3,000m Steeplechase whenever the schedule permits, her career peaked in 2018 displaying her versatility to win medals both at home and overseas.
She swept the board in the 1,500m, 5,000m and 3,000m Steeplechase at the Nationals, Sports Festival and Defence Services Championship. At the Jakarta Asian Games Pre-Tournament she won a silver in the 1,500m and gold in the 3,000m Steeplechase where she ran under 10 minutes for the first time clocking 9:55. However, at the Asian Games she was placed sixth.
Double gold medallist at the 2019 Kathmandu South Asian Games, Ratnayaka has decided to focus on her main 3,000m Steeplechase event in a bid to qualify for the Olympics. She finished fourth at the Asian Championship, Doha clocking 9:58.55 and also came fifth at the World Military Games last year.
Perhaps the best is yet to come from the Sabaragamuwa lass Uda Kumburage Nilani Ratnayaka, who relishes the obstacle of clearing 36 hurdles and seven water jumps during the 3,000m Steeplechase displaying endurance, speed, technique and horsepower in one of the most challenging and fascinating Olympic disciplines.