By Chathura Ranasinghe

[caption id="attachment_135065" align="alignleft" width="498"] Usahn Thiwanka Perera made a classic 2.30m jump yesterday (9) in Texas, USA[/caption]

USA-based SL athlete and former Karunaratne Buddhist School, Ragama & Maris Stella College, Negombo student Ushan Thiwanka Perera becomes first South Asian high jumper to hit 2.30m mark, at the 2021 Lone Star Conference Outdoor Track & Field Championships, in Texas.

 

Sri Lanka’s Ushan Thiwanka Perera set a new South Asian record in men’s high jump yesterday (9).

He won the gold medal in that discipline at the Lone Star Conference Athletics Championships in Texas yesterday clearing the evasive 2.30-metre mark creating both Sri Lanka as well as South Asia men’s high jump history.

What Thiwanka shattered was the previous Sri Lankan record of 2.28 metres set by himself just about a month ago. For the South Asian record, he shattered India’s Tejeswar Shankar’s 2018 feat, which was the Indian national record of 2.29 metres.

“I’m really happy with the performance,” an elated Thiwanka told the Morning Sports from the US just after his memorable achievement yesterday.

“I put a lot of hard work to achieve this. It wouldn’t have been possible anyway if not for the great support I got from my coach Rock Light. Now from here, my ambition is to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics and make Sri Lanka proud by representing in my country in it.”

Coach Rock Light speaks to the Morning Sports

[caption id="attachment_135066" align="alignleft" width="229"] Thiwanka with his Coach Rock Light[/caption]

Sharing his views with the Morning Sports, Thiwanka’s Coach Rock Light said: “I’m really impressed and proud of his (Thiwanka’s) result today. He achieved that in spite of all the difficulties that he had to face during his training, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” Light explained.

“There were a lot of obstructions he had to face due to the adverse weather here as well. Yet he continued to have consistent training. He had to do some of his workouts inside his apartment. The training went on smoothly only when the weather was good. Considering all that, it was great to see him achieve the record,” he added.

“Thiwanka has now set himself major goals to achieve in future and he has a strategy in place to reach there.”

Thiwanka’s performance was the second best recorded in the all-time championship history.

Can Thiwanka qualify for Tokyo 2020?

In order to qualify directly for the Olympics this year, Thiwanka has to improve his jump by a further 0.03 metres. He will then be able to get the bonus point necessary to get direct Olympic qualification.

Though the Sri Lankan athlete is currently ranked third in the world this season, he is ranked only 61st among Olympic qualifying rankings. Only the top 32 will be qualified for the Tokyo Olympics scheduled to start on 23 July. The deadline for qualification is set currently at 7 June.

Thiwanka can get Olympic qualification through those rankings by making a fare leap, somewhere around the 2.25-metre mark reportedly, in his next meet. Then he may have a fare chance to enter among the top 32 ranks who will get through to Tokyo 2020.