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Yupun slams authorities and they hit back 

07 Jul 2022

Sri Lankan sprint sensation Yupun Abeykoon made a record breaking run last Sunday (3) when he clocked 9.96s in the Men’s 100m event at the “Resisprint” Athletics Championship held in Switzerland. Soon after claiming gold, Yupun took to social media to slam the authorities for not providing him adequate support.  Records galore  Not only did Abeykoon become the first Sri Lankan to break the 10-second barrier, he also became the first South Asian to reach the landmark. The tournament was held as a stage of the World Athletics Championships continental tour, and it was the last tournament Yupun participated before the World Athletics Championships. It was the 15th fastest time in the world this season. He became only the fourth Asian to break the 10-second barrier. Meanwhile, Sri Lanka became only the 32nd country with a sub-10 sprinter and Abyekoom became only the 167th member of the sub-10 club.  Abeykoon dedicates victory to the Sri Lankan people  After his record breaking run, Abeykoon took the time to thank his team. In a video which has gone viral on social media, he said: “I did it. I changed Sri Lankan and South Asian history. I tried so many times and I did it today. Credit for this goes to my team. No one in Sri Lanka contributed to this. But, I want to dedicate this to everyone who has been with me, supported me, wished me until I got this timing up here.”  The video was making rounds on all social media platforms with fans congratulating him and blaming the authorities for not providing enough support for the athlete.  Authorities respond with facts and figures  In wake of the video being widespread, the authorities have sent out a list of payments that they have made for Abeykoon. As per records presented by the Ministry of Sports and the Athletics Association of Sri Lanka, the sprinter has been receiving funding since January 2020.  Since January 2020, Abeykoon has been given an allowance of € 700 per month until July 2021. From there on, he’s been receiving $ 1,500 till December 2021. After he was added into the High Performance Squad, he’s been recovering Rs. 100,000 monthly so far.  He was also given $ 15,000 for participating in Tokyo Olympics 2020.  Is it sufficient?  Abeykoon has been training in Italy for quite some time. Given the fact that he’s not earning there while giving his 100% commitment towards training, it is doubtful whether these funds are sufficient enough for his expenses.  Abeykoon also claimed that he has been sending emails asking the authorities to support him with necessary funding. The emails have been unanswered but the authorities have denied the claim.


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