Susanthika to begin Osaka campaign next Sunday

by Dinesh Weerawansa

ATHLETICS: Olympic medallist Susanthika Jayasinghe will come out for the first time at the IAAF World Championship when she competes in women's 100m quarter finals to be worked off in Osaka next Sunday (26).

The women's 100m event would be worked off as a direct quarter final as less than 32 women sprinters have qualified to much look forward to event.

Hence, Jayasinghe is due to run in women's 100m quarter finals at 8.35 pm local time in Osaka.

If she qualifies to be amongst last 16, she could run in women's 100m semi finals to be worked off at 8 p.m. on the following day (August 27). The fastest woman at the 2007 IAAF World Championship in Japan would be known after the women's short sprint final which is scheduled to be worked off on August 27 at 10.20 p.m. local time.

The 32-year-old Lankan lass will get only a day's break before launching her campaign in women's 200m - her pet event that brought glory to Sri Lanka exactly ten years ago.

It was in 1997 that Jayasinghe won Sri Lanka's first and only IAAF World Championship medal in Athens - a silver in women's 200m behind Zahana Pintusevich. Jayasinghe, who is currently training in the United States, is due to run in the first round heats of the women's 200m on August 29 at 10.40 a.m. local time.

If she advances to the next round, the Sydney 2000 Olympic medallist could run in women's 200m quarter finals at 7.40 p.m. local time on the same day.

Women's 200m semi finals are scheduled for August 30 at 10 pm and the final on the following day (31) at 9.15 pm Osaka time.

Jayasinghe is the most successful athlete that Sri Lanka has ever produced with medals at Olympics, World Championships, World Cup and Asian Games, flew to Los Angeles after completing a golden sprint double at the Asian Championships in Jordan recently.

But her mentor who guided Jayasinghe to win Sri Lanka's first Olympic medal in 52 years - Tony Campbell is not there to coach Jayasinghe this time around. Campbell is currently touring Europe with his elite set of athletes and has stated he would be unavailable.

However, former Sri Lanka high jump champion and country's first ever Asian Games gold medalist, Nagalingam Ethirvirasinham, who facilitated Jayasinghe's latest trip to the US, has found a reputed coach to monitor her training in Los Angeles which leads to the World Championship.

Reports from the US said that the Lankan sprint queen is due to arrive in Osaka by Wednesday (22).

Jayasinghe's morale would be high after securing gold medals in both the women's 100m and 200m in Jordan. She has vowed to bounce back and win yet another memorable medal in her farewell World Championship.

But Jayasinghe is bound to face a testing time from American woman sprinters who have been dominating in world circuit. Competing along with Jayasinghe in women's 100m would be Lauryn Williams, Torri Edwards, Carmelita Jeter and Allyson Felix.

In women's 200m, the USA would be represented by Allyson Felix, Sanya Richards, Torri Edwards and LaShauntea Moore.