Six Sri Lankans Athletes Secure Paris Olympic Tickets

Sri Lanka is poised to send six athletes to the Paris Olympic Games 2024. Among them, four athletes including three from track and field secured their spots through world rankings, while the remaining two received wild card entries. This marks the joint-lowest number of athletes for a single Olympic edition in last 36 years.

Dilhani Lekamge (Javelin Throw):

Lekamge, aged 36, boasts a silver medal from the Asian Games and a bronze medal from the Asian Championship. Her ranking of 26th in the Javelin Throw list secured her spot, even though only 32 athletes were selected.

Tharushi Karunarathne (800m):

At just 19 years old, Karunarathne is already an Asian Games and Asian Championship gold medalist in the 800m event. Her impressive performance earned her a World Ranking qualification, finishing 45th where only 48 athletes are selected.

Viren Nettasinghe (Badminton) :

Shuttler Nettasinghe, currently ranked 75th in men’s singles, sealed his Olympic qualification through World Ranking. His dedication and skill have paid off, especially considering the reduced number of wild cards this year.

Aruna Darshana (400m):

Ranked 51st initially, Darshana narrowly missed the cutoff where only the top 48 athletes are selected. However, World Athletics updated their list following withdrawals and injuries, confirming Darshana’s qualification for the Olympics.

Kyle Abeysinghe (Swimming):

The Abeysinghe family has a strong swimming legacy. Trained by their father, Manoj Abeysinghe, all four brothers—Andrew, Matthew, Dillion, and Kyle—excel in the pool. Matthew was the first Sri Lankan swimmer to qualify through world rankings, representing the country in both the 2016 and 2020 Olympics. Kyle, the youngest, took a break in 2018 due to medical reasons but made a triumphant comeback in 2023, securing his spot in the Olympics.

Ganga Seneviratne (Swimming):

Seneviratne also secured her spot via the universality placing, commonly known as a wild card. This opportunity is offered to top-ranked athletes from countries without qualified representatives in a particular sport.

Sri Lanka’s Olympic history has seen its share of ups and downs. In 1988, during the Seoul Olympics, the country sent only six athletes—the lowest number in the last 36 years. The lowest-ever participation was in 1956 (Melbourne) and 1968 (Mexico City), where only three athletes represented Sri Lanka.

The pinnacle for Sri Lanka was the 2000 Sydney Olympics, where they sent 18 athletes. Notably, it was the only time two Sri Lankan relay teams qualified: the Men’s 4x400m team and the women’s 4x100m relay team. Susanthika Jayasinghe’s 200m Silver medal during those games remains the second Olympic medal for Sri Lanka, following Duncan White’s Silver in 1948.