Sri Lanka’s reigning sprint queen Amasha de Silva is sure to aim for a medal at the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China this year as she is currently being tried and tested in the Caribbean, where there is no shortage of fast women. .
The postponement of the 2022 quadrennial event to this year has come as a blessing for the 23-year-old from Sri Lanka, who has been training in Trinidad & Tobago since last August.
“The training methods are slightly different. I learned new things and I am taking it step by step. We are in the preparatory period where the intensity is greater”, said the three-time national champion who has been under the wing of Ian Carter.
She has practically taken personal attention since it is the off-season for Trinidad’s national athletes, and most of them train in the United States.
“I am training alone. The focus is on me and they are testing my performance. The trainers are friendly. I feel I am getting better and better every day with strength training in the gym and other training,” said Amasha who is in her first overseas training sponsored by the National Olympic Committee.
“My goal is a medal in the Asian Games,” said Amasha, whose personal best in the 100m is 11.55 seconds, while qualifying for the Games is 11.40. Her personal best in the 200 meters is 24.05.
A product of Swarnamalee Balika Vidyalaya, Kandy, her career culminated in 2018 by winning the 100-200m double at the South Asian Youth Athletics Championships held in Colombo, setting a record of 11.92 in the 100m events. in addition to winning gold medals with 4x10m. 4x400m relay team. She went on to win silver medals at the 18th Asian Junior Athletics Championships in Japan with 11.71 (100m) and 24.47 (200m). She also represented Sri Lanka at the World Under-20 Athletics Championships in Finland, advancing to the semi-finals after placing fifth in one of the events.
A silver medalist in the 100m and 4x100m relay at the 60th National Senior Athletics Championships in Patiala, India last year, she has been consistent since winning her first national title in December 2020. Medalist silver in the 100m at the 2019 Nationals, anchored Sri Lanka’s gold medal winning women’s 4x100m relay team at the 2019 Kathmandu Games, but was one of two athletes to be struck down by dengue as the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic also put her career on hold.
“I took a break from athletics and rested to recover after contracting dengue,” said Amasha who joined the Army Women’s Volunteer Corps in October 2019. Her career has also been plagued by a back injury which is closely monitored during her training in Trinidad where she was joined by her trainer Sanjeewa Weerakkody for a month.
Weerakkody is scientifically preparing Amasha not only for the Asian Games but also for the Paris Olympics 2024. He was overwhelmed by the wealth of knowledge gained from discussions with coaches like Carter, who is the Athletic Director at the Universities of Trinidad and also of the group national youth.
“The exchange of knowledge is important. Our training knowledge is insufficient. What we don’t know, we have to tell them. If we say we don’t know alone, others will. The training is science-based and has the ability to adapt,” said Weerakkody, who is the Assistant Director of Physical Education and Sports in the Kandy education zone and has been coaching since 2001.
He was introduced to sprint drills by strengthening the body during the first 20 or 30 meters and proper breathing. Amasha also worked harder on gluteal muscle exercises to improve hip thrust and strength needed for a sprinter.
“Her acceleration skills have improved because of these trainings,” admitted Weerakkody, who is confident that Amasha can qualify for the Olympics from the Asian events next year.
“I will train hard and do my best to win a medal at the Asian Games,” said Amasha, whose inspiration is Commonwealth Games bronze medalist Yupun Abeykoon, besides Jamaican Olympic stars Shelly-Ann Fraser- Pryce and American Allyson Felix as her models. in sports.
At the rate she is progressing, Amasha may also come within sniffing distance of Olympic medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe’s 100m national record of 11.15 in the future. (AO)
