Tharushi Karunarathna

Last updated

Tharushi Karunarathna
Personal information
NationalitySri Lankan
Born (2004-11-18) 18 November 2004 (age 18)
Sri Lanka
Sport
CountrySri Lanka
SportAthletics
Event(s) 800 metres, 400 metres
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing Flag of Sri Lanka.svg  Sri Lanka
Asian Games
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2022 Hangzhou 800 m
Bronze medal icon (B initial).svg 2022 Hangzhou 4 × 400 m relay
Asian Championships
Gold medal icon (G initial).svg 2023 Bangkok 800 m
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2023 Bangkok 4×400 m relay
Silver medal icon (S initial).svg2023 Bangkok 4×400 m mixed
Updated on October 2023.

Dissanayaka Mudiyanselage Tharushi Dilsara Karunaratne (18 November 2004) is a Sri Lankan track and field athlete who competes mainly in the 800 metres sprint. She won gold medal at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships held in Bangkok in the 400m women's event and also the broke the 25 year old Asian record in the event. [1]

Contents

In October 2023, she took part at the 2022 Asian Games and claimed gold medal in the women's 800 m final at the age of 19 and became the first Sri Lankan since Susanthika Jayasinghe and Damayanthi Dharsha to clinch Asian Games gold medal for Sri Lanka. [2] [3]

Career

Tharushi competed in the 100m and 200m events at her rural school's Inter-House Meet after her first coach, Pushpa Kumudini, noticed her talent. Later, she excelled at circuit meets. Her abilities blossomed when she attended A. Rathnayake Central in Walala on a sports scholarship and was a member of the 4 × 400 m relay team that won the All-Island School Games in a record time in 2018. Her first significant individual accomplishment was a bronze medal in the 800m at the Junior Nationals that year. [4] Tharushi won the All-Island School Games in 2020, at the age of 15, after setting new records in the 400m and 800m races in the Under-16 Girls category. She ran personal bests of 56.54 seconds in the 400m and 2 minutes 14.00 seconds in the 800m, both of which were faster than the winners in the older age groups. In 2019, she also set a new 800m record of 2:17.00 at the Sir John Tarbat Meet. [5] In June 2023, she won gold in the 800m women's race at the Asian Under 20 Junior Athletic Championships in Yecheon, South Korea. [6] She also won silver in 400m and bronze in 4 × 400 m mixed relay. [7] In the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, Tharushi recorded a time of 2:00:06 to win gold in the women's 800m race and also set a new Asian record. [8]

She made her Asian Games debut by representing Sri Lanka at the 2022 Asian Games and competed in the women's 800m event. She eventually emerged as the ultimate winner of the competition after completing her run at 2:03.20 minutes. It marked the first instance for Sri Lanka since 2002 (after 21 years) to win a gold medal in Asian Games Athletics event. [9] She also eventually set a new national record in women's 800m event during the course of the event. She was also part of the women's 400m relay team which secured bronze medal in 4 × 400 metres event at 2022 Asian Games by finishing at 3:30.88 minutes. [10]

Related Research Articles

Kobala Vithanage Damayanthi Dharsha-Kobalavithanage is a retired Sri Lankan athlete who competed in the 200 and 400 metres race events. She is the current Asian Games record holder in women's 200m event and current Asian Athletics Championships record holder in women's 400m event as well as national record holder in women's 400m. She is regarded as one of the greatest track and field athletes to have represented Sri Lanka at international level alongside her teammate Susanthika Jayasinghe. She is also regarded as the most successful Sri Lankan athlete at the Asian Games with a medal haul of four medals including three gold medals and became the first Sri Lankan female athlete to clinch three Asian Games gold medals. She represented Sri Lanka at the Olympics on three occasions in 1992, 2000 and 2004. She also represented Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Games on four occasions in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006 as well as at the South Asian Games on four occasions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tintu Luka</span> Indian middle-distance runner

Tintu Luka is an Indian track and field athlete, who predominantly competes in the middle-distance running events. Born in Valathode, Kerala, she is the national record holder in the women's 800 metres. Luka represented India at the 2012 and 2016 Summer Olympics. In addition to being the 2015 Asian Champion in the 800 meters, she has won a total of six medals at the Asian Athletics Championships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Sonali Merrill</span> Sri Lankan–American athlete (born 1987)

Christine Sonali Merrill, also simply known as Christine Merill, is a former Sri Lankan–American track and field athlete and mechanical engineer. During her career, she specialized in the 400m hurdles event and also occasionally competed in 100m, 200m, 100m hurdles, 4 × 100m relay and 4 × 400m relay events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kyle Abeysinghe</span> Sri Lankan national swimmer (born 2000)

Kyle Abeysinghe is a Sri Lankan national swimmer who has represented his country at several international competitions. At the domestic level, Abeysinghe holds numerous national records, has been national champion several times, and is a member of the Killer Whale Aquatic Club, under his coach and father, Manoj Abeysinghe. At the 2017 Youth Commonwealth Games in Nassau, Bahamas, Abeysinghe won two silver medals in the 50m and the 100m Freetyle, becoming the only Sri Lankan in swimming to achieve this feat.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dinesh Priyantha</span> Sri Lankan Para-Athlete

Herath Mudiyansalage Dinesh Priyantha, also simply known as Dinesh Priyantha, is a Sri Lankan Paralympic track and field athlete who competes in javelin T46 events. He also served as an important member for the Sri Lanka Army during the Sri Lankan Civil War. He was disabled after being shot at his left arm during the final stages of the war. He is the defending Paralympic champion in men's javelin throw F46 category. On 30 August 2021, he became the first ever Sri Lankan to win a gold medal at the Paralympics when he won the men's javelin throw F46 category. He is the current Paralympic and World record holder in men's javelin throw for F46 category.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nimali Liyanarachchi</span> Sri Lankan athlete

Nimali Waliwarsha Konda Liyanarachchi is a Sri Lankan 800 m runner and current national record holder in women's 1500m event. She is also believed to be the first Sri Lankan woman to have competed in steeplechase events. She became the first Sri Lankan woman to complete the distance of 3000 metres in steeplechase event under 11 minutes. She won the best athlete award twice at the Presidential award ceremonies by the Sports Ministry including the Most Outstanding Sportswoman of the Year in 2015. She is currently attached to Sri Lanka Air Force.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dilhani Lekamge</span> Sri Lankan javelin thrower

Nadeesha Dilhani Lekamge is a Sri Lankan javelin thrower. She won a silver medal at the 2017 Asian Championships.

Chee Swee Lee is a Singaporean middle-distance runner who competed in the 400 and 800 metres. She competed in the women's 800 metres at the 1976 Summer Olympics.

Jayanti Behera is a track & field paralympic athlete who represents India in the Women's 200m, 400m, and 800m event. She is a world youth champion in the TR 400m event and she has also won the gold medal at the recent National Para Athletics Championships 2018 in Panchkula. She is supported by the GoSports Foundation through the Para Champions Programme.

Parami Wasanthi Maristela Kalumarakkalage also known as Parami Wasanthi Maristela is a Sri Lankan track and field athlete who competes in the 2000 metre steeplechase event. She is the first Sri Lankan to have won a Youth Olympic medal. She pursued her secondary education at Kuliyapitiya Central School.

Abeykoon Mudiyansalage Yupun Priyadarshana, known as Yupun Abeykoon, also referred to as Yupun Priyadarshana, is a Sri Lankan track and field athlete and a national record holder in men's 100m, men's 200m and in men's indoor 60m. He currently resides in Italy as he went on a scholarship to Italy in 2015. He is also attached to the Electronic and Mechanical Engineering Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army and represents Army Sports Club. He is currently regarded as the fastest Sri Lankan man as well as fastest South Asian man in men's 100m and 200m disciplines. On 3 July 2022, he became the first South Asian to break the 10-Second barrier for the men's 100 meters event at the Resisprint International competition, with a timing of 9.96 seconds, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

Kotambewaththe Gedara Dilshi Maheesha Shyamali Kumarasingha also simply known as K. G. D. M. S. Kumarasinghe or Dilshi Kumarasinghe aka Shyamali Kumarasinghe is a Sri Lankan track and field athlete and a national record holder in women's 800m. She is currently coached by Susantha Fernando.

Kumudu Priyanka Dissanayake Mudiyanselage is a Sri Lankan Paralympic track and field athlete who is also a current world record holder in women's 200m T45 category. She made her maiden Paralympic appearance representing Sri Lanka at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.

Kaushalya Madushani, also known as Kawshalya Madushani Edirippulilage or Kaushalya Madhushani, was a Sri Lankan track and field athlete who mainly competed in the hurdles event. She was a five-time national champion in the women's 400m hurdles. She was the defending national champion in women's 400m hurdles prior to her death when she defended her title successfully in 2022. She was attached to the Sri Lankan Army.

Nadeesha Ramanayake is a Sri Lankan track and field athlete who competes mainly in the 400 metres sprint. She won gold medal at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships held in Bangkok in the 400m women's event.

Vithya Ramraj is an Indian athlete from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. She is a three-time National champion. She competes in 100m and 400m hurdles and 400 metres. On 2 October 2023 at the 2022 Asian Games, she equalled the Indian national record of 55.42s in 400m hurdles set by P. T. Usha at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984. She won the 400m hurdles bronze at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on October 3. She also won a silver medal-winning 4x400m mixed relay team along with Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi, Rajesh Ramesh and Subha Venkatesan.

Soniya Baishya is an Indian athlete who competes in 400m event. She was selected for the Indian team in the 4x400 mixed really event for the 2022 Asian Games at Hangzhou, China.

Aishwarya Kailash Mishra is an Indian athlete from Maharashtra. She competes in 400m. She is named in the Indian athletics team for the 400m event as a reserve athlete for the relay team event for the 2022 Asian Games at Hangzhou, China. She was part of the women's 4 × 400 m relay Indian team along with Vithya Ramraj, Subha Venkatesan and Prachi Choudhary that won silver at the 2022 Asian Games.

References

  1. "Tharushi breaks 25-year-old Asian record to win gold - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  2. "Tharushi Karunarathna wins Gold at 2023 Asian Games". Ada Derana. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  3. "Athletics DISSANAYAKA MUDIYANSELAGE Tharushi. - The 19th Asian Games". info.hangzhou2022.cn. Archived from the original on 5 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  4. "Coach Susantha predicts great future for young athletic star Tharushi". Times Online - Daily Online Edition of The Sunday Times Sri Lanka. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  5. "Tharushi Karunarathna | Crysbro Next Champ". www.nextolympichope.com. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  6. "Tharushi Karunarathna wins Gold in Asian Under 20 Junior Athletic Championship". NewsWire. 5 June 2023. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  7. "www.sportswithharitha.com | Tharushi Dissanayake Bags 02 Golds & 01 Silver" . Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  8. "Tharushi sets new records to win Gold at Asian Athletics Championship". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 7 September 2023.
  9. "Three medals for Sri Lanka today in Asian Games". NewsWire. 4 October 2023. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
  10. malinga (4 October 2023). "Tarushi bags 800m Gold, adds 4x400 Relay Bronze". DailyNews. Retrieved 5 October 2023.