“This is not an individual honour to me; I consider this as an honour to the whole nation. But, I only hope as it came nine years later the sheen of the ‘silver’ is not lost” – Those were the spontaneous reactions of sprint queen Susanthika Jayasinghe upon her elevation to Silver in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Bronze.
In 2000 she became the nation's first Olympic Games medalist since 1948, when she finished behind Marion Jones and Pauline Davis-Thompson in the Women's 200 meters. On October 5, 2007 Marion Jones admitted to having been taking performance enhancing drugs prior to the 2000 Summer Olympics, and Jayasinghe was later elevated to Silver medal status.

Speaking further to the Sunday Times the beaming retired short distance sprinter said “On Thursday I enjoyed my 34th birthday and it was on that particular day that I received the official intimation by the IOC to hand over my Bronze medal in preparation for the Silver. I presume this is a good omen for the whole country – Our country has Olympic Silver along with the dousing of the internal strife that raged in the country for thirty long years”.

However Susanthika was also tentative. She was also wondering if the people in the country would rejoice her elevation in the same manner of her winning the bronze nine years ago. She just sighed “I hope the people still remember”

Then she added: “I remember at that time as a sports person in Sri Lanka I only thought of cricket. However with the efforts of people like me and other athletes we brought national honours in the field of athletics, people also began to believe in our skills as athletes”.

Susanthika married to former athlete Dhammika Nandakumara now is the happy mother of an eight-month-old baby boy Okitha Randheera whose name was coined by none other than ‘Kala Suri’ Arisen Ahubudhu. According to Susanthika, Mr. Ahubudhu began the first name with the letter O to mark the name Olympic. Now the little Jayasinghe family lives in their little mansion at Bandaragama.

When asked what her future plans are Susanthika quipped: “I am toying with the idea of entering politics. I am sure if President Mahinda Rajapaksa invites me to support him in his campaign I would be more than glad to join the bandwagon. I remember on my birthday, even before my mother or my father or even any of my sisters could wish me, it was the President of this country who rang me up early morning to wish me. I will never forget that gesture of his”.

Susanthika who has a string of world records as acclaimed titles, received Rs.5 million from the President’s Fund upon her retirement from the athletics arena. She was also given a house at the Elvitigala Flats and also has several duty free permits for vehicles.

Pic by Sandun Gamage

|

E-mail

|

views[1]