• A chat with Lanka’s golden girl now training in the US 

Today we caught up with Sri Lanka’s golden girl – Tharushi Karunarathna –  the athletic sensation who became the poster girl of Lanka’s sporting success after becoming the Asian Champion by winning the 800 m events at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China two years ago at 19 and became the first Sri Lankan since Susanthika Jayasinghe and Damayanthi Dharsha to secure Asian Games gold for Sri Lanka. She won a gold medal at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships held in Bangkok in the 400 m women's event and also broke the 25-year-old Asian record.

Tharushi first took to athletics by competing in the 100m and 200m events at her primary school Inter-House Athletic Meet. Later, she excelled at circuit meets. She rose to limelight after attending an iconic sporting school on a sports scholarship and was a member of the 4 × 400 m relay team that won the All-Island School Games in a record time in 2018. Her first significant individual accomplishment was winning bronze in the 800m at the Junior Nationals the same year. At just 15, she won the All-Island School Games in 2020 and set new records in the 400 m and 800 m races in the Under-16 Girls’ category. She clocked her personal bests of 56.54 seconds in the 400 m and 2 minutes 14.00 seconds in the 800m, both of which were faster than the winners in the older age groups. In 2019, she also set a new 800 m record of 2:17.00 at the Sir John Tarbat Meet. From then on, it was the world stage where Tharushi rocked on and continues to show her prowess.

Tharushi a proud alumnus of Walala A. Rathnayake Central College, Kandy is currently residing and training in the USA. In August 2024 she left the shores of Lanka to Tulane University in New Orleans, Louisiana after receiving a full scholarship. She is  an undergraduate in Management and continues her sports in the NCAA Division I circuit. She was the youngest of the Sri Lankan Olympic Contingent at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Prior to her  departure to the US, Tharushi was coached by Susantha Fernando, a veteran in the field of producing extraordinary athletes to the island nation.

Following are the excerpts from the interview:

Tharushi, how are you doing these days?

It's winter break at the university these days. So there’s a tad bit of a window for time off studies. University work will resume next week, whilst my training is going on as usual these days.

How is life in America, away from home?

Even though there were absolutely no complaints about facilities or anything lacking, for the first two or three weeks I constantly missed my family. I was quite sad at that time. I think it's normal for everyone who moves away from their country to another country. I've come to a place where I shouldn't be sad. It's something my mother always told me, it’s a place where I could be happy. So I was able to adapt to this country faster than I thought.

How are your training activities going over there?

The training pattern in this country is different from the training pattern in Sri Lanka, and some aspects have similarities. But I am continuing my training as usual.

What about the upcoming tournaments?

There are many tournaments coming up from January to June this year and there’s plenty of varied events from indoor to outdoor and much more. My coach will decide which tournaments I will participate in and what the best platform for me to reach the highest potential. These days I am preparing for those upcoming tournaments with full-on focus.

Will you be participating in competitions in Sri Lanka in the future?

I think the purpose of the qualifying competitions in Sri Lanka is to improve my timing in events to qualify for international competitions. So I hope to participate in the competitions here in the US and qualify for the tournaments for now.

If I maintain my usual skills in international competitions and qualify for those tournaments, I will definitely participate in the competitions representing Sri Lanka.

Can you also tell us about your academic activities at university?

Because I participated in the Olympics, I arrived in America on the first of September. By then, the academic year had already started with almost a month passed by. So I had a little difficulty at first to catch up. But by the end of the semester, I was able to complete some of my study modules and other related aspects without any hindrance. With that situation, I think I've finished my semester's work well. The next semester is scheduled to start next week and I am waiting for a successful time ahead.

How do you feel about the newly renovated playground at your school?

First of all, I must say that I am really happy to see the renovation work at the playground where thousands of athletes were groomed over the years and some of them have gone on to be the best in their respective fields.. All the renovation work at the playground will be completed soon. I think it will be opened soon. My semester is from January to May. So, during that time, I will not be able to visit Sri Lanka to witness the opening of the premises. It is quite a difficult time to come. There are many competitions and exams that I will be facing during that time. But I think that all the teachers, trainers, friends, alumni, etc. will understand my situation for not being able to be present physically on the big day. I’m sure as a school and a community they will be even happier and prouder when I win my competitions and races whilst being here.

What kind of preparations are you making for this year's tournaments?

My training is going on. But there's a slight glitch. I kept getting sick frequently with the cold climate, which in return hampered my usual pattern as I missed quite a significant number of training sessions. Because of that, I haven't reached my habitual level yet. I have experienced a different bit of a change from the training I've been doing for almost eight years back in Sri Lanka. However I know I'm getting used to it little by little as time passes by. I am continuing to train patiently in different conditions and getting used to change, and I am confident that I will be able to return to my best peak performance.

What do you have to say when you train under facilities in America after training at home in Sri Lanka?

Honestly there’s a drastic difference that is incomparable with what I saw back at home. There are plenty of facilities. I had an injury for a prolonged period of time which really took a toll on my health and performance. When I told the folks here about it I was able to fix that too. All in all there are good facilities for everything here for an athlete.  I didn't have any expenses when I came to America and after landing here. I’ve been provided everything from clothes, shoes, food, medicine, physiotherapists to look after health and conditioning. Even the plane ticket was paid for by my university. So my hope is to be able to study and engage in athletics without being a burden to my parents. I am grateful for this opportunity that I have worked very hard for. 

Can you also tell us about how’s training under your new coaches in America?

There are several coaches including the head coach just like my coach in Sri Lanka (Susantha Fernando), they are very respectful and kind to me. Even before I came to the university, they explained everything clearly to me about the situation here and helped me a lot with the admission process and other formalities. They always help me whenever I need help; they treat every international player equally.