Sri Lankan middle-distance runner Tharushi Karunarathna’s Olympics track kit is set to be displayed in the International Olympics Committee Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The 19-year-old Sri Lankan track and field athlete has donated one of her competition kits used in the ongoing 2024 Paris Olympics for this purpose. 

Issuing a statement, the National Olympics Committee of Sri Lanka said Karunarathna donated one of her competition kits to the International Olympics Committee (IOC) for display in the IOC Museum in Lausanne, Switzerland.

The National Olympics Committee of Sri Lanka further said that the autographed kit was presented to Ms. Anne Jaccard, Senior Manager of Exhibits and Programs of the IOC Museum at the Games Village.

In recognition of this gesture, Tharushi will receive a certificate signed by the IOC President, it added.

Sri Lankan athlete Tharushi Karunaratne competed in the Women’s 800m event at the Paris Olympics, but her journey concluded after she finished 7th in Heat 4 of the Repechage round. 

The youngest athlete to represent Sri Lanka at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Tharushi Karunarathna clocked a time of 2:06.66 in the Repechage round. (Newswire)

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Five Sri Lankan athletes, including Asian Games medallist Tharushi Karunarathna and Javelin thrower Dilhani Lekamge, have qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. 

Sri Lanka’s contingent consists of athletes competing in Badminton, swimming, and track and field events. 

Viren Nettasinghe, who recently made history by becoming the youngest Sri Lankan to directly qualify for the Olympics, will compete in the Badminton Men’s Single. 

In the track and field events, middle-distance runner Tharushi Karunarathna has qualified to compete in the Women’s 800 m event.

Sri Lanka’s highest-ranked athlete for the Paris Olympics, Dilhani Lekamge, currently ranked 26th out of a possible 32 qualifiers, will compete in the Women’s Javelin Throw.

In Swimming, Universality Places have been offered to Kyle Abeysinghe to compete in the Men’s 100m Freestyle and Ganga Seneviratne for the Women’s 100m Backstroke.

Meanwhile, three other Sri Lankan athletes have been placed as probable selections depending on various qualification criteria. 

Athlete Aruna Dharshana, holding a world rank of 51, may be able to compete in the Men’s 400m event, if three athletes withdraw and he receives qualification by moving into the group of 48 qualified athletes. 

Former Olympian and South Asian record holder, Sri Lanka’s Yupun Abeykoon may be able to qualify for the Men’s 100m if a male athlete fails to qualify, resulting in him receiving a Universality Place.

Javelin thrower Rumesh Tharanga may be able to compete in the Men’s Javelin Throw based on his recent achievement. 

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris is scheduled to take place from 26 July to 11 August 2024. (Newswire)

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Asian Games medallist Tharushi Karunarathna’s chances of securing a berth at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France, have been hindered due to the Sri Lanka Athletics officials failing to provide a suitable running track for the qualification event. 

Tharushi Karunarathna participated in the Women’s 800m event at the 102nd National Athletics Championship 2024 at Diyagama on Friday. 

The athlete who is vying for a spot in the Paris Olympics was forced to take part in her event on rain-hit and flooded running tracks. 

Despite her coach having requested the Sri Lanka Athletics officials to delay the event and clean the water from the first lane of the running track, which is important for the runners, the athletes were made to compete in unsuitable conditions. 

As a result, Tharushi Karunarathna who had trained for a time of 02:03:00 clocked in a time of 02:04:22 in the Women’s 800m event putting her chances of securing a spot in the Paris Olympics in jeopardy. 

According to Tharushi Karunarathna’s coach, if she had been able to contest under suitable conditions then the athlete would have increased her world rankings to 39 but had only reached 42nd rank due to the current situation.

The coach further pointed out that only 48 qualifications are allowed for the Women’s 800m event in the Paris Olympics, with the deadline for Olympic qualifications ending on June 30, 2024.

Tharushi Karunarathna’s coach states with two more days of competitions going on the world over, the Sri Lankan athlete may lose her opportunity to qualify for the Olympics, which could have been avoided if she was allowed to compete in suitable conditions in Diyagama. (Newswire)

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Sri Lankan athletes Tharushi Karunarathna and Kalinga Hewa Kumarage have secured top spots in the 2024 Reunión Internacional Villa de Bilbao – World Athletics Continental Tour underway in Spain.

Participating in the 600M sprint event for women, Asian Games medallist Tharushi Karunarathna emerged second clocking a timing of 1:24.84.

With her performance, Tharushi Karunarathna set a new Asian record and erased the continental record of 600 metres held by Ayano Shiomi of Japan.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Kalinga Hewa Kumarage was placed third in the men’s 400-metre event with a timing of 45.91.

The performances of both Sri Lankan athletes will boost their Olympic aspirations. (Newswire)

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Sri Lanka has secured a gold medal in the 2023 Asian Games in China, with athlete Tharushi Karunarathna emerging victorious in the women’s 800m event.

Karunarathna clinched the gold medal clocking a time of 2:03.20 in the women’s 800m event.

This is Sri Lanka’s first gold medal in the Asian Games athletics category since 2002. (NewsWire)

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