Abeykoon to run in Diamond League finale

Italy-based Sri Lankan sprinter Yupun Abeykoon will feature in the Men’s 100m event at the Diamond League finale in Zurich, Switzerland on Thursday.  

In what has been a career year for Abeykoon, he became the first Sri Lankan athlete to be invited for a Diamond League meet in June, where he broke his own national record, also becoming the first sprinter in 25 years to represent the country at the 100m event at the Olympics.  

The 26-year old will be part of a loaded field which features four athletes who ran in the 100m final at the Tokyo Olympics – Silver medalist Andre de Grasse of Canada, bronze medalist Fred Kerley and fellow American Ronnie Baker, and South African Akani Simbine.  

The field will be made of two more Americans in Trayvon Brommel, who also has the best time in the Men’s 100m this year of 9.77secs, and Switzerland’s own Silvan Wicki. 

Olympic Champion Lamont Marcell Jacobs of Italy is a notable absentee having decided to sit out the rest of the season after his storming run at the Tokyo games.