Darsha ready for farewell meet on home soil

SA GAMES: We are just two weeks away from that spectacular opening ceremony of the 10th South Asian Games, to be held at Sugathadasa Stadium, Colombo on August 18. The eight-nation Games will be the biggest ever multi-sport event to be hosted by Sri Lanka. Through this countdown series, the 'Daily News' will have a closer look at the South Asian Games, its history, local preparations and our medal prospects.

Three-times Asian Games gold medallist Damayanthi Darsha is getting ready for her farewell meet on home soil. This month's 10th South Asian Games is likely to be her last meet in front of her home supporters before a possible retirement after the Doha Asian Games towards the end of this year.

She has been hard at training under the watchful eyes of her coach Sunil Gunawardena. Her career has been affected by a leg injury during the last couple of years but the celebrated Lankan woman sprinter said she is ready for a memorable performance before her home supporters.

Darsha, who won the first of her four Asian Games gold medals way back in Hiroshima, 1994, said she would reach peak by the 10th South Asian Games. Darsha said her performance at the 2006 Sri Lanka national championship, where she came second to compatriot Susanthika Jayasinghe in women's 200m, is not any indication where she stands now.

Darsha said she ran merely to qualify and did not want to take a risk as she was just coming out of an injury. But, a determined Darsha said, she is ready with greater confidence. "I am ready for the South Asian Games challenge. At the same time, I am looking forward for the 15th Asian Games in Doha," a determined Darsha said.

The 'Ampara Express' came to the limelight when Sri Lanka last hosted the South Asian Games in 1991, winning women's 100m gold medal as a 16-year-old schoolgirl. At the very next South Asian Games in Dhaka, 1993, Darsha completed a golden double by winning both women's 100m and 200 titles.

At the last two Asian Games, she has won three gold medals. In Bangkok 1998, she won both the women's 200m and 400m and in Busan 2002, she won women's 400m. Thus, Darsha is the most consistent Sri Lankan athlete in both the Asian Games and South Asian Games history.

On the other hand, her arch rival Susanthika Jayasinghe is eyeing on a golden triple. In addition to a sprint double in women's 100m and 200m, Jayasinghe wants to anchor Sri Lanka's women's 4 x 100m relay team to victory.

Having come out with an impressive timing at the Sri Lanka national championships last month, the morale of the Sydney Olympic gold medallist is high. Jayasinghe has been training on work out schedules sent by her American coach Tony Campbell, the man who guided her to win Sri Lanka's first Olympic medal in 52 years.

Besides Darsha, Sri Lanka's other gold medal hopes in track events would be in men's 400m, where Rohan Pradeep Kumara would run along with Prasanna Amarasekera.