Sri Lanka’s very own Tharushi Karunarathna competed in the 800m heat 5, and for all of us watching from our homes, at 12.00am, we waited eagerly for her to grace our screens.
Karunarathna emitted confidence and composure as the camera fell upon her, with a smile on her face and confidence in her raised hands. As the race started, she kept up with the pack as they all moved to lane 1.
However, as the race progressed, she fell behind, yet managed to stay with the rest. Once the second round began, she was unable to keep up from the beginning of the first 100m. Yet, she showed incredible determination and kept on running to the best of her abilities, finishing with the timing of 2:07:76 in 8th place.
Karunarathna had a second chance at the event, competing in the Repechage Round on the 3rd of August, at 3.15PM. She kept a steady pace with the pack, but as the second round of the run began, fell behind and finished 7th in the heat 4, with a timing of 2:06:66 (better than that of yesterday).
It takes incredible hard work and strength to be able to reach Olympics games, especially in the track events. At merely 19 years of age, Karunarathna’s achievement is one that will go down in Sri Lankan history, and her future is looking bright as she has already gotten so far.
We are immensely proud of her for overcoming adversity and representing the country on the most prominent international athletic stage. We wish her the very best on her journey that will no doubt only get better, and must make sure we continue to support her along the way.
