The Runner Of The Asia YUPUN ABEYKOON

YUPUN into Battle with world champions

Yupun Abeykoon, a promising sprinter, has been selected to compete in the Oslo Diamond League (Bislett Games), a well-known diamond league event, in the 100m.The race will take place on Friday, July 17 at approximately 00.17 a.m. Sri Lanka time. This year, the Oslo Diamond League will include some of the world's best short-distance runners. Andre De Grasse, the Olympic 100m medlist and 200m champion, will be among the starters, along with Akani Simbine, Benjamin Azamati-Kwaku, and Reece Prescod.

This is the third time Yupun is competing in a Diamond League League tournament. He previously represented the Florence Diamond League as being the first Sri Lankan to create history in a Diamond League tournament last year.

He last competed in the Super Golden Spike Ostrava last month, finishing the 100m in 10.08 seconds with a wind speed of -1.2.

This tournament will be crucial for Yupun, who is within the qualifying rankings to qualify for World Athletics Championships 2024, to secure his place in the rankings.

The newest record of YUPUN ABEYKOON  

Yupun Abeykoon set his newest national men’s 100m record by smashing his previous record with a run of 10.06 seconds at the International Athletics Meeting Anhalt 2022 in Germany. In 2021 he broke his previous record of 10.15 seconds set at the Savona Championship in Italy with the new record of 10.09 seconds timing at the Anhalt 2021 competition which was held in Germany.

Prior to Yupun Abeykoon, the previous national record was held by Himash Eshan and it was 10.22 seconds. Yupun’s magnificent effort and training helped him to surpass the Himash Eshan’s record in September 2020 and the continuous practice and using advanced techniques make him the fastest national and the fastest South Asian in men’s 100m discipline in 2022 so far. With his new record, he was able to beat Ferdinand Omanyala, the all-time 8th fastest SPRINTER in the world for 100m.

Record-breaking season of YUPUN ABEYKOON

It seems like the Year 2022 is a recording-breaking season for Yupun as he was able to establish the highest records in the 100m, 150m, and 200m over the past few months. He claims The National and South Asian men’s 200m record by marking 20.37seconds at the 12th Castiglione International Meeting in Grosseto, Italy. He reestablishes the South Asian men’s 200m record by overriding the record set by Amlan Borgohain, from India which is 20.52 seconds at the same time he was able to reset the national men’s 200m record by overriding the Vinoj Suranjaya's Sri Lankan record of 20.68 seconds. In the same year, he was able to set a new Asian record for men's 150m discipline by winning the gold medal in the Perseo Trophy in Italy. He finished the run within 15.16 seconds and break the previous record held by Japan’s Yoshihide Kiryu.

Get direct qualification for the Tokyo Olympics

To be an Olympian is the ultimate goal of every athlete. For the first time, Sri Lankan athlete Yupun Abeykoon got the direct qualification for the Tokyo Olympics because of his excellent performance. Before him, the former Sri Lankan sprinter Chintaka de Soyza got the opportunity to enter Olympics in 1996 through wild card entry. After 26 years later Yupun was the first Sri Lankan athlete who got the chance to enter Olympics. It was a milestone in his athletic journey to become the only sprinter who run below the 10.20 seconds in the South Asian region at the diamond League athletic championship. Remarking as the lowest time taker in the Asian region and being the first Sri Lankan athlete who ran at the Diamond League Championship was an added advantage to Yupun when selecting the Tokyo Olympics 2020. And also breaking the national and south Asian men’s 100m record, with the timing of 10.06 seconds was a big support for him when selecting for the Tokyo Olympics 2020.

Yupun Abeykoon places 6^th at the 2020 summer Olympics in Tokyo with the results of 10.32 seconds in the quarterfinals. He was not successful at Tokyo Olympics and he was not able to maintain at least 10.15 seconds which is equal to his national and South Asian men’s 100m discipline in 2020.

Special achievements during his athlete journey

He became qualified for the World Championships that will be held in Oregon in July with his achievement of 10.15 seconds finish of 100m at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. And also, he was able to earn the 56th position in the ‘Road to Oregon 2022’ rankings.

Yupun Abeykoon is the first Sri Lankan athlete who got the opportunity to compete in the diamond league. He was the 4^th place in the men’s 100m event at the 2021 diamond league in Florence, Italy. With this achievement, he was ranked as 48^th place in the world ranking. Before competing in the diamond league at Florence, Italy he was ranked in 65^th position on the road to Olympic rankings.

Reestablished his 60m indoor record of 6.78 seconds with the new record of 6.59 seconds. In 2017 he achieved a record of 6.78 seconds. In January 2021 he was able to surpass his national indoor record of 60m.

By recording 10.24 seconds timing, he was qualified to claim the bronze medal for the men’s 100m event at the World Athletics Bronze Level Series Meet in Switzerland. No sprinter after the 1990s brings the Sri Lankan name among the top three places. After decades Yupun Abeykoon was able to bring the Sri Lankan name in front of the world by winning the bronze medal.

In the 2019 South Asian Games, he claimed the gold medal in the men's 4 × 100 m relay with a team consisting of Himasha Eshan, Vinoj Suranjaya, and Chanuka Sandeepa.

Beginning of his journey to becoming a world-class athlete

Yupun was passionate about being an athlete from his younger days. He was educated at Pannala National school and then entered St. Joseph Vaz College, Wennappuwa. As Yupun said those are the places that helped him to discover his hidden talents in athletics and find his true passion.  With his talents, he got the opportunity to represent Sri Lanka at the 2013 South Asian Junior Athletics Championships held in India.

He was a member of the sports club of the Sri Lankan army and attached to the Electronic and Mechanical Engineering Regiment. He won the bronze medal in the men’s 4×100m relay by competing at the Military World Games in 2015.

He obtained a scholarship to train at the Fiamme Gialle Sports Centre in Italy. This was a value-added opportunity for him as he was able to train under new technology and foreign coaches. Claudio Liciardello was his coach for him at the Fiamme Gialle Sports Centre. He was a former Olympian. Yupun tried to fully utilize the expertise of his coach and follow a path to fulfill his Olympic dream.