Sugath brought honour and fame to Sri Lanka

Sampath BANDARA

Sugath Tillekeratne is one of the most outstanding Sri Lankan athletes who hailed from Up-Country.

He is currently the Sri Lankan and South Asian Record holder in the 200 metres and 400 metres.

R. A. Sugath Tillekeratne was born in Norton Bridge, Nuwara Eliya District on July 30, 1973 and was educated at Norton Bridge Vidulipura Maha Vidyalaya.

Ambagamuwa grass track

Sugath started his athletic career at a very early age. This schoolboy prodigy had met a crafty and efficient young coach by the name of Anura Bandara.

Anura Bandara was P.T.I. at Ambagamuwa Maha Vidyalaya, Ginigathena. He trained barefoot on the grass track at Ambagamuwa MV under the guidance of Anura Bandara. This talented schoolboy trained and practised hard to fulfil his aspiration of becoming an athlete in the future.

Sugath recorded his first International victory at the South Asian Games held in Dacca, Bangladesh. He clinched a gold medal in the 400 metres with a new games record, clocking 46.58 seconds and he claimed another gold in the 4 x 400 m relay event with K. P. Susantha, Suresh Dematapitiya and H. P. M. Gunawardana in the same year he was able to obtain a Bronze Medal in the 4 x 400 m relay event with K. P. Susantha, Damith De Silva and H. P. M. Gunawardana at the Asian Championships held in Manila. 1995, Asian Championships held in Jakarta he got a Bronze Medal (46.12) in the 400 metres event.

Beat Michael Johnson...

He beat 200 m and 400 m world record holder Michael Johnson in the 400 m first round heats at Atlanta Olympics making headlines in most of the sports pages in that time.

1998 was a amazing and remarkable year for Sugath. He won a gold medal with a new games record in the 400 m (44.61 seconds) at the Asian Championships which was held at Fukuoka, Japan on July his timing of 44.61 was his personal best and it is a record time for the Sri Lanka and South Asian region.

Sugath clinched two Bronze Medals in the 200 m and 400 m events at the Commonwealth Games held in Kuala Lumpur.

Finest hour...

Sugath Tillekeratne's finest moment was in the 1998, Bangkok Asian games in which he clinched a gold in the 400 metres (44.99 seconds) and after a few minutes he got a bronze Medal in the 200 metres (20.69 seconds).

Sugath and Damayanthi Dharsha won Asian Games Gold medals for Sri Lanka after 24 years. According to IAAF rankings in the year 1998 Sugath was 400 m number one runner in the Asian region and number nine in the world. Sugath Tillekeratne is currently the 400 m and 200 m record holder for Sri Lanka and South Asia. He is also the Asian championship record holder for 400 metres (44.61 seconds) and retired from Athletics recently. Sugath Tillekeratne is one of the best athletes produced by Asia in the last twenty years.