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Dinesh Weerawansa reporting from France

PARIS, Friday - Sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe, who pulled out of the IAAF World Championship here and the next month's Asian Championships in Manila due to a hamstring injury, said she is planning to run at the IAAF ratified International Invitational Grand Prix meeting in South Korea.

Sri Lanka Athletic officials informed the Grand Prix meet organizers in Korea that the 27-year-old Olympic medallist would not compete after a left hamstring injury ruled out her out of the 9th IAAF World Championships here. But Jayasinghe today requested the Athletic Association Secretary Prema Pinnawala to inform the meet organizers in Korea that she intends to run at the Grand Prix meet in Busan on September 27.

Jayasinghe has been asked by the doctors to take a minimum of three weeks rest after an MRI scan on her left leg, following a hamstring injury during the 100m quarter final heats here during the ongoing IAAF World Championship a week ago. Despite skipping the Asian Championships on medical advise, she now plans to run in at the Busan Grand Prix, in which veteran Sri Lankan woman hurdler Sriyani Kulawansa Fonseka too would be running. AASL Secretary Pinnawala was immediately in touch with the Busan meet officials and asked them to keep Jayasinghe's entry open. The Busan Grand Prix takes place two days after the Asian Championships in Manila. Top athletes at the International Invitational Grand Prix in Busan would be offered USD 2,000 (Rs. 195,000) each for their participation alone. "I am looking forward to compete in the Korean Grand Prix meet. I hope to get rid of my injury by then. From next month, I could start training for the Olympic Games," Jayasinghe said today.

Jaysinghe will not run in women's 100m in future and the current IAAF World Championships here in Paris was her last outing in the short sprint. Instead, she would switch on to women's 400m immediately. "I will run in women's 400m in the very next meet available for me. I will not take this as my main event, but to support my 200m. My 400m should be better than the 100m in time to come, but my target is 200m. I will fully concentrate on my pet event while keeping 400m as a support for endurance," Jayasinghe said. Her entry to 400m from next season would bring a head to head meeting with compatriot Damayanthi Darsha, the women's 400m gold medallist in the last two successive Asian Games. Next year's Olympic Games would probably bring Jayasinghe and Darsha together in a 400m.

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