Vinoj eyes sprint revolution
For years Sri Lanka has not succeeded in the men’s sprinting events at Asian level. In the history of the100m or 200m it’s rarely that SL men have got through the first round in the sprints.
But 22-year-old sprinter Vinoj Suranjaya de Silva who gave up cricket to be an athlete is eyeing to change that history at this year’s Asian Championship. He is eyeing a podium finish in the 100 m and 200m, a feat which was achieved only by Sriyantha Dissanayake at the Asian level, 27 years ago at the Beijing Asian Games.
Dissanayake won a bronze in 100m and silver in 200m in 1990. Apart from him, Sugath Thilakaratne was the only other athlete to achieve a medal in the 200m which he achieved at the 1998 Asian Games with a 200m bronze medal. In Asian Championships, none of the SL men were able to win a sprint medal in the 44 year history of the event which began in 1973 in the Philippines.
Years after living in the shadow of South Asia’s fastest man Himasha Eashan, Vinoj is on the spotlight this time as he produced an eye catching 10.30 seconds in 100m and 20.85 seconds in 200m with ease at the National Trials showing glimpses of things to come in a week’s time at Bhubaneshwar, India the host city of Asian Athletics Championship 2017.
“I was disappointed about my performance at the trials, I wasn’t feeling that good on that day,” said Vinoj in an interview with Ceylon Athletics prior to leaving for training in Bhubaneshwar ahead of Asian Championship.
According to Vinoj the South Asian Games’ Gold medallist in 200m and 4x100m, went below the SL record of 10.26 seconds in 100m and is a piece of cake and he is eyeing something more in the event.
“I’m looking for a kind of revolution in SL sprinting events. SL record will automatically shatter in the heats, I’m eyeing a bit more than just breaking the SL record,” stated the determine youngster.
“He can go below 20.50 seconds in 200m where we will have a medal,” said coach Chaminda Perera who is more interested in Vinoj’s 200m event though Vinoj just wants to be the fastest in 100m.
Hailing from Balapitiya, Vinoj first schooled to Revatha Vidyalaya Balapitiya before moving to Devananda Vidyalaya Ambalangoda. At both schools, Vinoj played cricket as wicket keeper opening batsman which he gave up at under-17 level to focus more on athletics, a sport which has given him glory and fame by now.
Vinoj trained under coach Mateesha and Gurusingha at the two schools where he achieved modest success and even qualified for the Asian Junior Championship in 2012.
Following the Asian Junior Championship in 2012, all eyes were on the teenage sprinting sensation, Himasha Eashan who was dazzling the track and beating all seniors. Thereafter SL athletics were rocked by the doping charges of Eashan who was suspended later in 2012. It was said that Coach Chaminda Perera’s negligence caused the incident for Eashan at that time.
At that time when the whole world was against Chaminda Perera, Vinoj decided to go under the wings of Perera in the company of Eashan for further improvement of his athletics career, a move which was criticized by many of his close associates.
“I choose him and I trusted him to deliver and that trust has paid off now,” said Vinoj.
Years later, both Eashan and Vinoj were at the top of their game. They had undergone several doping tests without failing at even one proving that the 2012 incident was one due to the lack of knowledge then. In fact in 2016 it was Vinoj who was on top with Himasha failing to clock below 10.30 seconds in the year, even though he clocked a wind aided 10.29 seconds in Jamaica early this year.
Vinoj who was clocking around 10.80 seconds during his training days with Perera has gradually improved.
“I have never done weight training till I met coach Chaminda and I started getting better by the day. It was slow progress and it took me more than four years to come down to this level since clocking 10.8 seconds.
Vinoj trained for two years at Panadura before moving to Colombo in 2015, where he made it to the senior team for the first time at the last edition of the Asian Athletics Championship in Wuhan, China.
Though many, including coach Perera insisted Vinoj to run the 400m, an event which seems better suited him, Vinoj stuck to running 100m, 200m events.
“The 100m is my favourite. Once I feel it is alright and successful in the 100m I might think about the 400m,” said Vinoj who doesn’t like the workout in the 400m which is the main reason for him to opt out from that event.
Like many athletes in the country Vinoj grew up in a family who weren’t wealthy enough to provide him with luxuries as his father worked as a construction worker in the Maldives and the mother a housewife.
“Family helped me a lot. Sometimes in my youth, relatives told me to focus on studies but my family always supported my athletics career,” said Vinoj.
Fortunately his future is secured with ‘Hela Clothing’ where he is employed now. Vinoj said that he will have a job at Hela Clothing even after he retires from athletics. For now they have given Vinoj freedom for full time training.
Today, Vinoj’s timing in the 200m is only behind Sugath Thilakarathne’s SL record and will he be able to finish on the podium at the Asian Championship? We will know in a week’s time.
