World renowned athlete interviewed by Chathura Ranasinghe Susanthika Jayasinghe, 43 now, is the first and only Asian sprinter to win an Olympic medal. She won the Sydney Olympic silver medal for Women’s 200 m to become only the second Sri Lankan to get an Olympic medal after Duncan White, who won silver at Men’s 400 m hurdles at the 1948 London Olympics. Nicknamed the “Asian Black Mare”, Susi has also won two medals at Athletic World Championships, at Athens in 1997 and Osaka in 2007, while winning many accolades at the Asian level, including two golds in both 100 m and 200 m events at the 2007 Asian Championship held in Amman, Jordan. Presently, the legend is giving her hand to upcoming local athletes in the National Olympic Council’s (NOC) effort to find the next Olympic medallist from the island. Chathura Ranasinghe of The Sunday Morning Sports met Susanthika last week to find out more about her latest talent search mission. What’s happening with regard to your latest mission with the NOC? Just a little busy these days with that. In the meantime, I’m also busy on my home front with my children and their work. What are your plans with your former coach Tony Campbell who was here recently? We have initiated a programme to develop overall athletics in Sri Lanka. We have a plan to group all top, prospective athletes in the whole country. I’m determined to do whatever I can in achieving this target. Have you found at least a few young and prospective athletes by now? Of course, yes. There is no shortage of talent in Sri Lanka. The fault is with the people who look after them. That’s the reason why only a few reach the international level. What do you observe as the main reason that hinders our achieving of major victories in athletics at the international level? I feel, again, that the fault lies within our coaches. Most of them are not reasonably qualified. That is sadly the case. Once the athletes reach the national level leaving the school track, their skills start to diminish. After performing at the school level, they should be under the tutelage of our national coaches. But this cannot be done without proper guidance. It’s not just the responsibility of the athlete. This is in fact a collective responsibility. Without everyone’s commitment, dreams will never come true. Do you really think we can do it? Why not? Of course we can. The whole of Asia knows about our strength. In Sri Lanka, everyone from the village to the city is good at sports. It is in our blood. That energy is in our legs. But you should understand that this is a step-by-step journey: First, a South Asian champion, then an Asian champion, and finally a world champion. That is how an athlete becomes thirsty for major international victories.When I won the Olympic medal that day (in 2000 in Australia), the whole of Asia greeted me. Young athletes need to understand that there is nothing more joyful than seeing our Sri Lankan national flag flying in the skies of the international arena. I’ve made that happen. Now I want to see someone else see that great sight too. I’m looking forward to seeing that happen once again in my life.