Susanthika returns to track, meets Darsha at Asian Grand Prix

Dinesh Weerawansa

ATHLETICS: A 'new look' Susanthika Jayasinghe is ready to return to international track after a successful two-month training stint in the United States.

The 30-year-old Sydney Olympics women's 200m bronze medallist, who ran her last international meet abroad after two years ago, will compete at the forthcoming 2006 Asian Grand Prix Series scheduled for later next week. "I have overcome all my injury problems and ready to have a go once again," a confident sprint queen said yesterday.

Jayasinghe's return would make way for a showdown with compatriot Damayanthi Darsha, a three-time Asian Games gold medallist who has switched back to 200m after eight years.

Jayasinghe said her American coach George Campbell, the man who guided the Lankan lass to win her country's first Olympic medal in 52 years, changed both her start and training techniques. "He changed my start, weight schedule, training schedules and even the vitamins that I take. I am fresh and confident now to face the challenges ahead this year," Jayasinghe said.

Jayasinghe's morale has been boosted by a welcome return to track at the recent UCA International meeting in Los Angeles where she completed a sprint double. She won both the women's 100m (11.37 seconds) and 200m (23.11) but said she was yet to peak. "I am just coming out of an injury and is generally peaking. That is not my best. I hope to peak towards the end of this year with the Asian Games, South Asian Games and IAAF World Cup in mind," a determined Jayasinghe added.

Jayasinghe's career best in women's 200m was at the 2000 Sydney Olympics (22.28 seconds) and weeks before that, she registered her best ever timing of 11.04 seconds in 100m at the Yokohama Grand Prix meeting in Japan. Jayasinghe said her aim is to break the 11-second barrier this year.

"My target is to go for a 10.9 and hope that I could make it," she said. After the Asian Grand Prix Series in India and Thailand, Jayasinghe will fly back to the US to train under Campbell until the South Asian Games in August.

Jayasinghe's last international meetings abroad was in 2004 at the Asian Grand Prix series (23.20 seconds in 200m).

She ran a 100m at an international meet after four years - since 2002 Asian Games gold medal in Busan (11.14 seconds). Jayasinghe has not met compatriot Darsha in an international meeting for more than four years and it would be interesting to see how they take the challenge up in a battle for local track supremacy.