RANASINGHE: FROM HUMBLE BEGINNINGS TO THE OLYMPICS

With just a couple of days remaining for the Olympics to kick off, the hype and excitement of the Olympics is growing at the moment. Athletes from all over the world would be going head-to-head in view of making their respective countries prosper.

The final 9-member contingent of Sri Lanka left for Rio, Brazil yesterday in view of grabbing a medal or two. Three among them had qualified while the rest had got through by wild-card entries. Moments prior to the departure, the Daily Mirror was able to catch up with Sumeda Ranasinghe, who would be the first Sri Lankan to take part in the Javelin Throw event in the history of the Games.

Q First of all, congratulations on being selected for the Rio Olympics 2016. What were your feelings when you knew that you would be heading towards Rio for the Olympics as the first ever Sri Lankan athlete in the men’s Javelin Throw event?

I was overjoyed at the breaking of the news. To be honest, I hadn’t any hopes of heading towards Rio. I had an eye on the National Level record and that was it. But when I knew that I had surpassed the Olympic Cut, I was overjoyed. And I also believe that luck played a big role in my qualification, because the talent of an athlete isn’t enough sometimes and then you need that extra bit of luck to help you out.

Q You came up with something extraordinary at the South Asian Games (SAG) trials last year. What did you feel as you watched your throw exceed expectations and shatter records?

Yeah, that was something that I hadn’t even expected. There was only one aim in my head, and that was to try breaking the Sri Lankan record. But 83m was not on my head at that time. I was really satisfied though, because I knew that all my hard work was displaying the results.

There has been a lot of improvement within these two years. It is mainly because I moved my training sessions to Colombo from Kurunegala. I was based in my hometown at first and thus had to do my training there. Unfortunately there aren’t many facilities there. There is no proper carpeted ground, which is a major downfall. Technology is very level over there.

That’s why I moved to Colombo, in order to have better and more fruitful training sessions. I saw better results after a few training sessions in Colombo. There was clearly an improvement. I was reaching distances of 79-80m at practices, which was a great thing.

Q Since then however, you have not come close to your personal best. Isn’t it a worrying factor going into the biggest competition of your life?

Not every athlete performs the same way, every day. There are ups and downs throughout our careers. See, at the SAG Games trials, I reached a distance of 83m. But at the Games, I was only able manage 80m. Not that it wasn’t satisfactory but compared to the previous record, it wasn’t enough. Thus although I haven’t come up to that level in recent times, I promise that I would give of my best at the Games.

Q You and the rest of the athletes have trained under the most tiring conditions here. How has that affected your prospects at the Olympics?

I don’t know about the others but I personally feel that we should’ve been provided with more facilities than what we have actually received. There weren’t proper grounds for training. They are not up to the required level. Plus, fewer facilities are provided in Sri Lanka compared with many other countries. There should be a proper administration regarding this matter. See, practices and training sessions for the SAG Games begin with about two months left. This is an event where Sri Lanka could really shine, but see how poorly we take advantage of the opportunity. The Government and the related authorities should see to this matter at once. There should be improvements and changes in how the system works. Sri Lanka is full of talented youth, but as a result of these types of mistreatment, they are not willing to take the risk.

Athletes who got qualified in the previous editions of the Games were given many facilities in order to help them achieve their best and to boost their confidence. I’m not asking for a lot. Covering the basic needs would be more than enough.

Q Don’t you think that a foreign training, at least a short one, would have put you in good shape?

I don’t think that foreign training was a must. I achieved my personal best after practising here. So personally I don’t think that it is a must. The fact that we should be given proper facilities in order to showcase our talents is the most important thing in my opinion.

Plans of rebuilding athletics should be given priority over forming new committees and handing over positions. As a result of this, the standard of the country goes down ultimately. Good coaches should be brought in so that the true talent of our athletes could be brought out. If not, the hidden talents wouldn’t be identified.

Q What was the support you received from your family and others towards you reaching such a height in your career?

There was a big support from my family. My parents and my siblings are always by my side. And also I received a lot of support from all at the Sri Jayawardenapura University. The lecturers and all my friends have helped me a lot.

I should also mention everyone at the Sports Ministry, including Min. Dayasiri Jayasekara. They have seen to all my needs. And not forgetting everyone at the National Olympic Committee and the Athletic Association, who have assisted me in every possible way.

Q What could we expect from you at the Olympics? What are your hopes and expectations?

My only hope is to get through to the final round of the event. That’s the biggest possible achievement in my opinion. If I could achieve it, I would be selected for the final 12. From this point, anything could happen. Luck plays a big role here, and I believe that I could aim for a medal at this stage. Obviously I would be giving my 100% at the Games, nothing elss.

Q How have you fared in your training sessions so far? Can you outline what your training plan was?

Training sessions have been good. I practise at the Torrington Ground which I find is in a better condition than to most others. I have been reaching distances between 80 and 85m at training sessions. I wasn’t satisfied with the conditions at the National Championships, so I opted not to take part in it. It was a bit of a risk. I guess I took the right choice as one player had injured himself as a result of a defect in the track.

Q How supportive was the Sports Ministry and the Athletic Association towards your preparation for the Games?

As I mentioned before, everyone there assisted me in every way they could. True enough, there weren’t many facilities available but considering the time factor, the support I received was more than satisfactory.

I am looking forward to giving nothing less than 100% at the Games and I hope to make my country proud at Rio. I believe by doing this, it would help the future of athletics in Sri Lanka come up to a higher standard.