• “I have worked hard and am proud that this victory brought some positivity for my country”
• Sajith Premadasa calls Yupun the Usain Bolt and Carl Lewis of Sri Lanka

By Darshana Sanjeewa Balasuriya   

Olympic Sprinter Yupun Abeykoon who set a new men’s 100m record in South Asia, with a time of 9.96 secs at the Resisprint International Competition in Switzerland said he was proud to have won this at a time when Sri Lanka was facing a crisis and was receiving negative publicity.    

“I have worked hard and am proud that this victory brought some positivity for my country. I know we are facing a difficult situation at this moment and my win is dedicated to all my fellow Sri Lankans,” Yupun told Daily Mirror.   
Yupun said soon after his victory he received a telephone call from Sports Minister Roshan Ranasinghe and former Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa.   

Minister Ranasinghe, while thanking him for his victory, assured his fullest cooperation for his future training.   
However, Yupun said he appreciated the strong support from Mr. Namal Rajapaksa while he was the Sports Minister stating that the former minister had provided him all the facilities for his training.   

He said Namal had also held discussions with the High Performance Committee to provide all the facilities required for him to continue his training and said he owed his gratitude to the former sports minister and the Sports Ministry.   

“This is just the beginning of my long journey to win more medals for my country,” Yupun added.   

• I know we are facing a difficult situation at this moment and my win is dedicated to all my fellow Sri Lankans