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Dinesh Weerawansa reporting from Katunayake

Sri Lanka's 'golden girls' - Susanthika Jayasinghe, Damayanthi Darsha and the other medallists at the 14th Asian Games in South Korea were accorded a red carpet welcome on their arrival at the Badaranaike International Airport, Katunayake yesterday.

The Emirates flight from Singapore, bringing home the Sri Lanka contingent for the 44-nation Games in Busan after being transit in Seoul and Singapore, arrived at the BIA in the early hours of yesterday.

The team looked tired after over a 20-hour travel from the athletes village in Busan. The team athletes and officials left the Games village early on Tuesday morning and were on transit in Singapore for almost eight hours. The rugby team and badminton player left Busan on Tuesday afternoon but both teams met in Singapore to board the same flight to Colombo.

Shortly after the Emirates flight landed in Colombo, AAA President Sunil Jayaweera addressed the Lankan medallists on the flight's public address system and requested them to advance early.

Then the team was taken to the VIP lounge, where they were accorded a red carpet welcome with the beating of traditional 'magul bera'.

The medallists were welcomed on their arrival by the Secretary to the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, N. G. Punchihewa and the President of the National Olympic Committee of Sri Lanka, Hemasiri Fernando. The returning Lankan contingent was headed by the Deputy Chef de Mission Sunil Jayaweera after Chef de mission Commander H.U. Silva opted to come one day late after finalising his official work.

AAA Secretary Prema Pinnawale, who returned to Colombo one day ahead, too was there at the airport to greet the Lankan medallists. Among the distinguish guests to greet the victorious Lankans were several Parliamentarians.

One of the happiest to see the success of the Lankan athletes was Chairman of Lanka Cement, Anil Koswatte, who has taken a lot of trouble in supporting Sri Lanka's ace woman sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe to see her Olympic gold medal dream a reality in 2004.

"I am happy that the captain of the Sri Lanka contingent, Susanthika Jayasinghe and other medallists have made our country proud. They are capable of doing even greater things in future," he said. Jayasinghe is employed at Lanka cement as its Business Development Manageress.

Meanwhile, the special felicitation ceremony, which was to be hosted by the Minister of Youth Affairs & Sports, Johnston Fernando at the BMICH today has been put off for next week, to enable the Lankan athletes to visit their home towns in the outstations to be with their families after being out for almost a month.

The two Lankan gold medallists Jayasinghe and Darsha will be richly rewarded for their feats in Busan.

Special cash and other awards will also go to gold silver medallist Anura Rohana, men's 400m bronze medallist Rohan Pradeep Kumara, men's 4 x 400m bronze medal winning team of Sugath Tillakaratne, Ranga Wimalawansa, Prasanna Amarasinghe and Pradeep Kumara and bronze medal winner in taekwondo Edwards.

The Lankan contingent had a memorable time at the Athletes Village. It was nice to see two of Sri Lanka's top most women sprinters Jayasinghe and Darsha joining together with some of their team mates and dancing at the Games Village discotheque for the visiting athletes on the final night.

They had sweet memories during their stay in Busan.

Jayasinghe had a slight fever during the team's journey from Singapore to Colombo. Talking to the writer on board the Emirates flight, Jayasinghe said she would have been happier if she had been able to win the 200m gold and also anchored women's 4 x 100m relay team to victory. The celebrated Lankan woman athlete said she will now take a short break and get ready to work towards her goal of an Olympic gold medal in 2004. In Jayasinghe and Darsha, Sri Lanka could keep its dreams of an Olympic gold medal alive.

All what is needed for the two girls will be enough support, encouragement, backing and proper guidance to go for those goals. All Sri Lankans would wish and pray that the duo would be able to make Sri Lanka proud at the Athens Olympiad.

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