Tharushi breaks 25-year-old Asian record to win gold

Tharushi Karunarathna, Nadeesha Ramanayake, Sayuri Lakshima, and Nishendra Fernando set a new Sri Lanka record as they won silver in the Women’s 4x400m event

Aruna Dharshana, Rajith Rajakaruna, Pabasara Niku, and Kalinga Kumarage claimed the 4x400m men’s event, setting an an Asian Championship record in the process

Tharushi Karunarathna claimed gold in the 800m women’s event

By Susil Premalal
Breaking a 25-year-old Asian Athletic Championship record, Sri Lanka’s star athlete Tharushi Karunarathna won the gold medal in the 800m women’s event on the last day of the 25th Asian Athletic Championship 2023 yesterday. Tharushi broke the record of 2:01.16 set by Zhang Sian (China) in 1998 after completing the 800m event in 2:00.66 seconds.
Meanwhile, the 4x400m men’s event was won by Aruna Dharshana, Rajith Rajakaruna, Pabasara Niku, and Kalinga Kumarage, who finished with a time of 3:01.56 sec. The team set an Asian Championship record with the win, breaking the previous record of 3:02.50 set in 2015. The Silver medal was won by India (3:01.80), while Qatar took third place (3:04.26).
Organised by the Asian Athletic Association (AAA), the tournament was held in Bangkok, Thailand, with the participation of athletes 
from 43 countries.

Gayanthika Aberathna, who competed alongside Tharushi, was placed third after finishing in 2:03.25. This is her second medal at the championship.
The Women’s 4x400m Silver medal was won by Tharushi, Nadeesha Ramanayake, Sayuri Lakshima, and Nishendra Fernando. They clocked a time of 3:33.27, a Sri Lanka record. Vietnam won first place, while India finished third.
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka mixed relay team of Aruna Dharshana, Tharushi, Kalinga Kumara, and Nadeesha set a new national record of 3:15.41 seconds as they won the silver medal in the 4x400m 
Mixed Relay.

It was the first time that Sri Lanka fielded a senior team at an international competition. The team shaved exactly 10 seconds from the previous record of 3:25.41. So far, Sri Lanka has had four international appearances (junior and senior) where Tharushi was a member of every relay team. This 3:15.41 ranks 33rd in the world’s all-time rankings and 4th in Asia. It is also in 15th place in the world ranking as of today.
The gold medalists were India (3:14.70), while Japan (3:15.71) won bronze.
Tharushi became the second schoolgirl to win a medal after Damayanthi Darsha’s performance in Manila in 1993.
Aruna became the first male athlete from Sri Lanka to win a medal at both the junior and senior championships. Tharushi is also the fourth female athlete to win a medal at both the Asian junior and senior championships after Damayanthi, Susanthika Jayasinghe, and 
Vidusha Lakshani.

Sri Lanka finished in fourth place on the medal table with three Gold medals, two Silver medals, and three Bronze medals. This is the highest position Sri Lanka has finished in the history of the Asian Athletics Championships. The highest Sri Lanka had ever finished previously was in 2002, when they finished in 6th position.