Sri Lankan long-distance runner Gamini Sugathadasa clinched Gold in the 55–59 age category at the 130th Boston Marathon, which concluded on Monday (20) in the US.

Marking his sixth appearance at the marathon, Sugathadasa finished the 42 km race with a time of 2:36:32 to win the Gold. This is the best performance by a Sri Lankan in this age group on American soil, marking a significant feat in the annals of the local athletics sphere. 

Sugathadasa, a dedicated long-distance runner, previously won a Bronze at the 2025 New York City Marathon, which covered an extremely difficult hilly terrain. 

The Boston Marathon had its inception in 1897, and is the world’s oldest and most challenging annual marathon. Staged in Massachusetts in the US, it is also considered one of the six major marathons in the world and is listed in the Abbott World Marathon Majors. 

Over 30,000 athletes from across the world took part in this year’s race, which covered a distance of 42.195 km.

Sugathadasa, who immigrated to the US from Sri Lanka in 1999, began his athletic journey relatively late in life – around the age of 40 – after developing a passion for running upon seeing athletes cross the finish line with medals and smiles.

A single father, he currently works as a bellman at the Four Seasons Hotel in Las Vegas.