By Susil Premalal

(Daily Mirror) - Sprinter Yupun Abeykoon’s hopes of obtaining direct qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games were shattered when he pulled out of the Sri Lanka Athletic (SLA) Special Selection Trials held at the Mahinda Rajapaksa Sports Complex in Diyagama yesterday.

The South Asian fastest sprinter and Birmingham (2022) Commonwealth Games Bronze Medalist did not participate in the men’s 100m event following a leg injury he sustained during the 102nd SLA Senior National Championships held at the same venue last week. 

Abeykoon is awaiting a scan report on his leg injury, and he will not compete in any event until such time, SLA sources revealed yesterday.

Therefore, Yupun will not be eligible to qualify directly for the Paris Olympic Games, but he will stand a chance to gain a wildcard entry if he can run under 10.44s in any international event before July 7.

The wildcard entries will be issued to those with the best performances after July 7 in the men’s 100m event. 

However, Abeykoon’s chances of gaining a wildcard entry for the Olympics will also depend on the performances of Sri Lanka’s other elite athletes, Dilhani Lekamge, Rumesh Tharanga (men’s and women’s javelin throw), and Tharushi Karunarathna (women’s 800m).

Only two wildcards are allocated by the IAAF to each country, if it fails to qualify for an event directly or through the points system. 

The SLA had earlier recommended to the IAAF that their two main events for wildcard entries are the men’s 100m and the women’s 800m events. 

According to the current Road to Paris Olympic Ranking list, Lekamge is in 25th place, while Karunarathna is in 42nd position. However, several competition results from around the world have not yet been updated on the list.