Sprinting superstar at the Tokyo Olympics - Yupun Abeykoon

27 Jul 2021

Sprinting superstar at the Tokyo Olympics - Yupun Abeykoon

27 Jul 2021

By Mahika Panditha The Olympics itself has its own amazing history, and so do all of the Olympians. We have a fantastic team representing Sri Lanka, and it was my absolute pleasure to be able to get some words of wisdom and some insight into an Olympian's life from 100m sprinter Yupun Abeykoon. Did you know that since 1996, there has not been a Sri Lankan sprinter competing in the men’s 100 metres at the Olympics? Yupun Abeykoon is the first since then! He hopes to be a renowned athlete, where people will know what he has achieved for both himself and his country – so far, he is doing amazing and we cannot wait to see where the future takes him. Check out what he had to say to Happinez earlier this week. Hi Yupun! Before we start, do tell our readers a little about yourself! Hi, I’m Yupun Abeykoon, I’m a professional athlete. I’m 26 years old. In my family, it’s my parents and my younger sister. Even though I am an athlete I like playing Moto GP. Let’s talk about The Sports Manager (TSM) platform first. How did that begin? Athletes establish dreams and goals from a very young age, only to realise, however, that unfortunate circumstances and various obstacles can lie in the path of achieving them. In an era where world sport is growing to greater heights, an athlete is recognised as a professional who requires facilities to train and compete full time. The major portion of Sri Lankan athletes make career shifts due to the inability to continue their sporting careers. We were in the same position as these athletes some time ago where we were looking for someone to guide us. This inspired us to create a platform through which we can help these dreams to become a reality with the mutual goal of bringing glory to Sri Lanka. TSM is the first sports agency in the country – what can we look forward to seeing in the future? What you can look forward to seeing in the future from us is a concept of a sports hub for everyone in Sri Lanka. We have planned a few projects for athlete development focusing on both physical and mental wellbeing, and opportunities for personal and professional growth. Moreover, our biggest aim is to make sports accessible to everyone in Sri Lanka, and take our flag to the world. You will be representing Sri Lanka in the Tokyo Olympics this year, congratulations! What drew you to track and field? It started when I was studying in Pannala National School. My first running event was when I got selected to run for the school sports meet when I was nine years old, and that was the starting point of my athletic journey. I thank my teacher (Mrs. Subadhra) for encouraging me to take part. I did not have the aim to become an athlete, and I’m sure even my teacher didn’t think that I’d come this far. How has the experience been thus far in terms of your training and preparation for the Olympics? So far, training’s going very well; right now we are putting more effort into it. Especially since it’s a big competition and all the world-renowned athletes are participating in the Olympics, we have gone into more detail with our training and correcting all the small mistakes to make sure to give our best. What would you say has been your biggest challenge in your career so far and how did you overcome it? There are many challenges in this journey, but I would say the biggest challenge I face are the injuries in this sport. I don’t know whether anyone would believe me when I say this, but so far I have never finished an event without injury. It depends on many factors; some we can control, and some we can’t. How I overcome these situations are by focusing and following exact techniques and recovery. Also, I must say that my mental stability is a key in overcoming every challenge that I have faced so far. Do you have any advice for youngsters that hope to compete in the Olympics one day? This is what I always say, a man should dare to dream. It takes courage, dedication, and perseverance to achieve your goals. If you are someone who is running behind a dream, I want you to remember, it takes courage to get back up every time you stumble. You need to refocus every time a well-deserved opportunity is snatched away from you, because that can happen; but if you feel like giving up, that’s the time you need to work twice as hard. Because at the end, that joy and satisfaction is the best feeling ever. Why I’m saying this is because I too am someone who made it through many obstacles in life. I would not be voicing my story today, if I had given up back then. So never give up and follow your dreams. What do you hope to do after the Olympics? This Olympics is not my final target, and this is the first time that I am competing at the Olympics. This is a very big dream of mine and there are many athletes who are coming to give their best. The Olympics is just one more step and one more stage of my career, and I’m going to do my best and gain all the possible experience I can to somehow get into the world championship next year.

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Sprinting superstar at the Tokyo Olympics - Yupun Abeykoon

Sprinting superstar at the Tokyo Olympics - Yupun Abeykoon

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