Real Chance for Tharushi with 600M Tomorrow

Tharushi Karunarathne, stands on the brink of enhancing her Paris Olympic placement. Tomorrow, during Sri Lanka Athletics’ special selection trial at Diyagama Stadium, Tharushi will compete in the 600m event—a strategic move that could significantly impact her Road to Paris ranking and Olympic prospects.

Despite her stellar performance in 2023, where she clinched both the Asian Games and Asian Championship Gold medals with a personal best of 2:00.66 seconds in the 800m, this year has presented challenges.

Tharushi did not finish an 800m race during an international meet and withdrew from another, leaving her with only one completed 800m race this year, clocking a modest 2:05.74 seconds before last week’s Nationals.

However, the Sri Lanka Athletics (SLA) decision to include her in the 600m race paid off in Spain. Tharushi clocked an impressive 1:24.84 seconds, earning 1218 points and securing the 49th position on the Road to Olympic list. Another strong performance in the 600m tomorrow could propel her into the top 40, significantly improving her chances of making the Olympic Cut.

Earlier this week, despite adverse weather conditions, Asian Gold medalist Tharushi Karunarathne showcased her determination at the 102nd National Athletics Championship in Diyagama.

She clocked 2 minutes 04.22 seconds to win the 800m Women’s Final, earning 1188 points. Her average ranking points now stand at 1218.8, up from the previous 1202.

Currently ranked 49th in the Road to Paris list—where only 48 athletes will be selected for the Olympics—Tharushi’s national performance will propel her to the 42nd position, improving her chances of making the cut. A better performance in tomorrow’s 600m could secure her spot in the top 40.