Sport is in my blood – Hansi Ekanayake

Angu Rajendran

“Sport is in my blood,” says Hansi Ekanayake who was judged the best female athlete at the International School’s Athletic Championships held recently. This special award was given to the Under 17 girls champion athlete Hansi for her outstanding performance in the 400 metres. Her record breaking run around the 400m track of the stadium of 57.78 seconds is better than the All Island National Age group record for that event.

Hansi started running at the age of 9. Being an only child she found friendship mostly in animals. She has two dogs and several cats and reads a lot about wild animals. Feeling very inspired by the cheetah, she was keen to run faster than the cheetah one day and started running on her own. Her eyes light up as she says ‘I love to run. There is so much energy in my body. It just makes me want to run.’

Hansi Ekanayake joined Lyceum Wattala from a Japanese International School – Yoshida Shokanji on a sports scholarship two years ago. After joining Lyceum, she realized that she had amazing potential. Earlier she would just run without any technique or plan. She was specializing in 100metres, 200metres and the long jump without knowing why.

Slow start

“My school coach Sir Prabath told me that I had a slow start and my build and the height are not suitable for 100metres. He told me to start training for the 400metres,”says this 400metres expert.

“I don’t know why but I just love the 400metres. It is just the right distance. I am great on the bends and that makes it easy for me to win,” says Hansi.

“The 100m is over before you can even start and the 200m is only half the track but the 400m is perfect.” She always leads the pack for the first 200metres though she does not run at maximum speed.

She only gives 95 percent of her speed and for the second 200metres she goes all out and sprints to the finish. She has been on a winning streak ever since she started running the 400m in 2008.

This London O’Level commerce student of Lyceum Wattala practices four days of the week from 5.30am to 7.30am. ‘Practices are fun. About 20 of us come for practices every morning and our coach has a special program for each of us since we all specialize in different athletics events.’

Another record

For the International schools meet, Hansi who was also aiming for the championship needed to take part in 3 events. She chose the hurdles and the 800metres.

The 800m was another record breaking feather in her cap. Her coach had told her to concentrate on the 400metres but Hansi went on her own to the Sugathadasa Stadium in her spare time and ran and ran around the track for the love of running. It definitely paid off with her 800metres too.

She says that her biggest motivation is her timing. “It is amazing how at every meet my timing in the 400metres gets better and better. I am only 15 and I don’t know what my speed will be like in a few years,” says Hansi in wonder. At her first All Island Meet in 2008 she ran the 400metres in just a minute. At the All Island Ghontabert Junior championships conducted in Wennapuwa in September 2009, Hansi’s 400m was run in 59 seconds and it was record timing at the meet.

Confident

It is amazing how this 400m bullet, now runs the 400metres in 57.78 seconds. She has been chosen for the Junior Olympics to be held in Singapore in August 2010. She is fairly confident of breaking a record there.

”My ambition is to do something really great for my country. I want to break a world record. I am a big fan of Susanthika but I want to do something more. I am sure I can. I just love to run and I really want to run for my country and do something that the whole country can be proud of,” says Hansi bursting with love for her country.