SAFF Junior – Beginning of a Long Journey for Budding Athletes
The South Asian Athletics Federation (SAFF) Junior Championship 2024 commences tomorrow in Chennai. This marks the beginning of a professional athletics career for many juniors as they will get their first experience in traveling and competing internationally as a team, getting to know fellow athletes who they will compete with for decades to come. This is the fourth edition of the championship, which Sri Lanka has hosted twice before.
“The regional event is a very important championship as most of the future national athletes will be getting their first international exposure at these championships,” said Saman Kumara Gunawardana, the secretary of Sri Lanka Athletics.
Several athletes who excelled in the previous three editions of the SAFF Junior Championship went on to represent Sri Lanka on the world stage, winning several medals for the country in the process.
2007 – Waruna Lakshan Dayarathne
Javelin thrower Waruna Lakshan Dayarathne began his international journey in 2007, representing the national team at the SAFF Juniors. He went on to qualify for the 2017 World Athletics Championship ten years later. Other athletes with multiple international medals, such as sprinter Shehan Ambepitiya and high jumper Dulanjali Ranasinghe, also represented the team in 2007.
“I wasn’t even included in the final 8 for trials. I had to make an appeal to the President of Sri Lanka Athletics, Maj. Gen. Palitha Fernando, back then to compete in the trials, where I won and got into the team,” reminisced Waruna, while playing with his son at home.
“It was my first international experience; the first time meeting many of my friends who I later competed with for years, as 80% of our team went into the national pool later on and stayed in senior athletics for a decade following that.”
“That competition gave me the hunger to do more. Despite finishing third in that event, I went on to compete in three Asian Championships and qualified for the 2017 World Athletics Championship,” said Dayarathne.
Sachith Maduranga, who finished fourth, went on to win a silver medal in the 2017 Asian Championship. Ambepitiya secured three Commonwealth Youth Gold medals the next year in 2008, the 2010 SAG 100m Gold medal, and even trained with Usain Bolt at the time.
2013 – Yupun Abeykoon
The second edition of the Championship was held in Ranchi, India, six years after the first edition in 2013. Hurdler Supun Viraj Randeniya, quarter-milers Shiwanthi Rathnayaka, Vinura Lakmal, Harsha Chathuranga, and high jumper Thilina Karunarathne were stars on the team. However, it was the fourth-place triple jumper of that competition, Yupun Abeykoon, who went on to become the most successful athlete out of the batch.
“It was my first international experience, which I always cherish. I believe it was that defeat which pushed me to continue athletics, mentally prepared me for the future, and boosted my will to become the first South Asian to run 100m under 10 seconds and qualify for the Olympics,” said Abeykoon.
The Commonwealth Games bronze medalist in the 100m said he believes that junior international meets are a must and that everyone who qualifies should be sent to gain those experiences, which shape their careers for the next decade.
“I didn’t have many dreams back then. I was the second-best triple jumper on the team behind Atheetha Karunasinghe and finished fourth with 14.96m during the competition, but that was my greatest experience and lesson to date. Also, I met several friends during that camp whom I trained with for years to come, like Vinura Lakmal, who I met during the competition and is here in Italy training with me today,” said Yupun.
The Italy-based sprinter focused on the 100m after 2015, leaving the triple jump, which took him to the pinnacle of his career, becoming the first South Asian sub-10 runner in the event and the first South Asian sprinter to qualify for the Olympics and World Championships in the 100m.
2018 – Aruna Darshana
In the most recent edition of the championship in 2018, Sri Lanka excelled with Aruna Darshana becoming a star by winning three gold medals (200m, 400m, and 4x400m). Darshana went on to win Asian Junior gold medals in the 400m and 4x400m in the same year and became Sri Lanka’s first 400m runner to qualify for the semifinals in the Olympics during the Paris Olympics.
“That was my second international experience but my first international win. It was a good launching pad for my international career, following which I went on to win Asian Junior Gold, represent Sri Lanka at the World Junior Championship, finish 4th in the Asian Games 4x400m relay, and won the 2019 SAG gold medal in the 400m and 4x400m. I still train and compete with friends I met through that competition, and I think the SAFF Junior Championship mentally prepared me to become a professional athlete and gave me a clear vision of my future potential,” said Darshana.
The competition also brought attention to athletes like Pasindu Kodikara and Pabasara Niku, who went on to win Asian Championship gold medals in the 4x400m relay alongside Darshana.
Sprinters such as Shelinda Jansen, Amasha de Silva, and Dilshi Kumarasinghe also shone during the meet. Jansen went on to finish 9th in the Youth Olympics in the same year, while Amasha and Dilshi excelled with medals at the Asian Juniors and went on to win South Asian gold medals as well as represent Sri Lanka at the Asian level.
