It’s BLACK MAGIC as SUSIE bags World C’ship BRONZE

Finishes behind Felix and Campbell in women’s 200m.:

Dinesh WEERAWANSA reporting from Japan

ATHLETICS: ‘Dazzling Gazelle’ Susanthika Jayasinghe kept the lion flag fluttering high at Osaka’s Nagai Stadium as she bagged the women’s 200m bronze medal at the 11th IAAF World Championship here on Friday night.

Running in a disadvantageous lane seven, Jayasinghe joined reigning Olympic gold medalist Veronica Campbell and the defending champion Allyson Felix to keep the pace of the race. She had an impressive final dash to clock 22.62 seconds to finish third, behind Felix (21.81) and Campbell (22.34) who won the gold and silver respectively.

The race got off to an inauspicious start with a false start taken by Jamaican Aleen Bailey. Coupled with the bitter 100m quarter final exit experience due to a false start and the first yellow card shown in the 200m final, Jayasinghe had one of the slowest reaction timings.

Nevertheless, the Lankan wonder girl made a strong come back to go past former World Championship silver medallist Torri Edwards and her American team mate Sanya Richards, who both had better season’s timings than Jayasinghe.

Despite not being able to monitor the progress of her opponents, Jayasinghe, on lane seven, had her own calculated dash until the curve.

It was at the bend that Jayasinghe fired all cylinders to reach the top gear. It was in the last 80m that Jayasinghe was at her brilliant best, accelerating at her peak to go past Edwards and Richards and closing on Campbell.

This was only the second time that a Sri Lankan has won a World Championship medal in its 24-year-old history. Incidentally, it was Jayasinghe who first achieved this unique feat exactly ten years ago when she clocked 22.39 seconds to finish behind Ukranian Zahana Pintusevich-Blocks to take the silver in Athens on August 8, 1997.

With a world ranking of 20, that too after her 22.99 dash to win the Asian Championship gold in Jordan a month ago, Jayasinghe had virtually no attention from media and none expected the 31-year-old Lankan lass to spring a sensational surprise in a key final that had four star American woman sprinters and two Jamaican sprint queens.

Yet, the unpredictable Jayasinghe did that once more to mark Sri Lanka’s place prominently in the world athletic map.

Jayasinghe, who became the first Asian to win a World Championship medal, now becomes the only Asian to achieve this memorable feat twice.

“I did it. I did it. Oh my poor father and mother, they are the people who brought me up,” was the first emotional expression as she spoke to the Lankan media in the mixed zone, minutes after her historic feat.

“I am happy that I could make it. Only a few believed that Susanthika Jayasinghe could go this far once more. But nothing is going to beat my will power, determination, courage and strength given by mother who breast fed me for five long years. That has been the key to my success,” an emotional Jayasinghe shared her joy.

“The path to my success has been a really hard one.

Many would think that I am having a luxurious life as an elite world class athlete. But it’s not so. How many days I have starved, faced immense day to day problems. If not for all those, I would have gone much far at world level,” she continued.

Inspired by today’s latest addition to her rich haul of medal collection, a determined Jayasinghe vowed to give Sri Lanka its first ever Olympic gold next year. Jayasinghe said she would present Mother Lanka with an Olympic gold medal before she hangs her spikes up.

“I am hungry for victory. I am going to win an Olympic gold next year, it’s hard and a huge challenge but Susanthika is going to do that and make all of us in my little country proud,” she assured.

Meanwhile, Americans made a clean sweep in men’s 400m with Jeremy Wariner (43.45), LaShawn Merritt (43.96) and Angelo Taylor (44.32) winning the gold, silver and bronze respectively.

Olympic champion Liu Xiang lived up to expectations to clock 12.95 seconds and take the gold in men’s 110m hurdles. He was closely followed by Americans Terrence Trammell (12.99) and David Payne (13.02), who bagged the silver and bronze respectively.

Cuban Yargelis Savigne (15.28m) won the gold medal in women’s triple jump while the top honours in women’s javelin throw went to Barbora Spotakova of Czech Republic, who had a clearance of 67.07m.

Women’s 200m final result:

1.Allison Felix (USA) - 21.81 WL

2.Veronica Campbell (Jamaica) - 22.34 SB

3.Susanthika Jayasinghe (Sri Lanka) - 22.63

4.Torri Edwards (USA) - 22.65

5.Sanya Richards (USA) - 22.70

6.Aleen Bailey (Jamaica) - 22.72

7.LaShauntea Moore (USA) - 22.97

8.Cydonie Mothersil (Cayman Islands) - 23.08