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| Wednesday, 4 August 2004 |
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Countdown to Olympic Games with Dinesh Weerawansa K.V. Damayanthi Darsha Asian Games triple gold medallist Damayanthi Darsha could well be rated as the most disciplined elite athlete in Sri Lanka. Good times and the bad, Darsha has been sporty enough to face critics and correct her faults if necessary. She has been a silent performer over the years and has achieved the hard task of surviving as a ace woman sprinter for almost 14 years. Having made her Sri Lanka debut at the Asian Championships in Manila in 1991, Darsha came in to the limelight when she emerged as the fastest woman at the Vth South Asian (SAF) Games held in Colombo in the same year. She has been the undisputed Sri Lanka sprint queen for many years with a total dominance in 100m and 200m, before she switched on to 400m almost seven years ago. Ever since then, Darsha has been a household name in Sri Lanka athletics and has won nine gold medals in four successive South Asian Games, though she missed a possible fifth in April this year. In 1998, she achieved a rare feat of becoming Sri Lanka's first Asian Games gold medallist in 24 years after that gold medal drought in the local track and field arena since Teheran, 1974. Darsha also holds the rare honour and record of winning four medals in three successive Asian Games. Having secured women's 200m bronze on her debut in Hiroshima, Japan in 1994, she turned out to be the most successful woman sprinter at the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games with a memorable sprint double in 200m and 400m. She also won fourth Asian Games medal inside three Games with women's 400m gold in Busan two years ago. Still holds the Sri Lanka junior schools record in Girls Under 17 and 19 for 100m and 200m. Asian Championship as well as the Asian Games record holder in 200m and 400m. Had her early education at Panadura Balika before veteran coaches Sunil and Badra Gunawardena, two reputed Sri Lanka track stars of yesteryear, spotted her talents and took care of the lass from Ampara. She was honoured with a Deshabandu title at the President's National day honours list in 1991 and won the Duncan White award for the most outstanding Sri Lanka athlete in three years from 1991. Won Asian Junior championship 100m gold with a record timing in Jakarta, 1994. Returned to the track at the last Asian Championship after a one year lay off due to a leg injury which forced her to skip the 2003 IAAF World Championships in Paris and 2004 South Asian Games in Islamabad. Fact file: Name: Kombala Vidanelage Damayanthi Darsha Career best record: women's 400m in 51.05 seconds, 200m in 22.48 seconds and 100m in 11.17 seconds. Sri Lanka debut: 1991 Asian Championships in Manila, Philippines Career milestones: Olympic Games - Third Games, having competed in Barcelona 1992 and Sydney 2000. World Championships - Competed in Edmonton 2001 Asian Games - bronze in women's 200m in Hiroshima, 1994, two gold medals in women's 200m and 400m in Bangkok, 1998 and gold in women's 400m in Busan, 2002. Asian Championships - bronze in women's 200m in Manila, 1993, gold in women's 200m in Jakarta, 1995, gold medals in women's 200m and 400m in Fukuoka, 1999, gold in women's 400m in Jakarta, 2000. South Asian Games - women's 100m gold medal in Colombo, 1991, women's 100m and 200m gold medals in Dhaka,1993 women's 100m and 200m gold medals in Madras, 1995, three gold medals in women's 100m, 200m and 400m in Kathmandu, 1999. IAAF World Cup: Competed in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1998. |
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