Agony for Aruna after clocking another PB of 44.75
Aruna Darshana ran the race of his life, clocking another personal best of 44.75 seconds and finishing fifth in the 400m semifinal at the Paris Olympic Games, only to be disqualified later on.
He was disqualified due to rule 17.3.2 of Athletics technical rules, which pertains to lane infringement. The rule states that during any part of races, an athlete running on a bend, on the outer half of the track (as per Rule 17.5.2 of the Technical Rules), or on any curved part of the diversion from the track for the steeplechase water jump, shall not step or run on or inside the kerb or line marking the applicable border (the inside of the track, the outer half of the track, or any curved part of the diversion from the track for the steeplechase water jump).
His time of 44.75 seconds is only behind Sugath Thilakarathne’s 44.63 and 44.61 seconds, set in 1998. It would have qualified him directly for next year’s World Athletics Championship. Additionally, it would have listed him as the most successful Sri Lankan athlete at the Olympics since Susanthika Jayasinghe in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
The Sri Lanka team appealed the decision, and the judges showed videos of Aruna Darshana dangerously close to the inner line in the last 10-20 meters of the second lap, coming into the final stretch. Although the video clearly didn’t show his foot touching the line, the judges stated that there was no gap between his spike and the inner line of the lane.
Despite the heartbreak, Darshana demonstrated that he is now a regular sub-45 runner, having run two sub-45 times during this Olympics. Earlier, Aruna Darshana made history by becoming the first Sri Lankan 400m runner to qualify for the semi-finals at the Olympics. Making his Olympic debut, he clocked a personal best of 44.99 seconds, finishing third in his heat on Sunday. This achievement is even more remarkable considering that it’s only the second time a Sri Lankan runner has broken the 45-second barrier. The first was Thilakarathne, although he couldn’t qualify for the semi-final.
Darshana, 25, trains under Asanka Rajakaruna and rose to fame in 2018 by winning the Asian Junior Championship with a new meet record. He went on to clinch gold at the 2019 South Asian Games. Despite facing challenges due to Covid and some injuries, Darshana and Asanka persevered. Darshana was also part of the 400m relay team that won bronze at the Asian Games and gold at the Asian Championship. He was a finalist in the Asian Games 400m event.
In 2024, Darshana consistently displayed sublime form, running several races under 45.5 seconds. Although he had limited competition at home, he managed to qualify for the Olympics, becoming the first Sri Lankan male 400m runner to achieve this feat since Rohan Pradeep Kumara in 2004. Going into the Olympics, Darshana’s personal best was 45.30 seconds, and he improved that by 0.31 seconds to dip under 45 seconds while running from lane 9.
This performance by Darshana is the best by a Sri Lankan athlete on the world stage in 11 years, since Nadeeka Lakmali competed in the World Championship Javelin throw final. It’s also the best performance by a Sri Lankan in the Olympics since Susanthika Jayasinghe ran the 200m semifinals in 2008. This achievement marks a rare instance where a Sri Lankan athlete has performed at their best during a major global event.
