Sri Lanka_Yupun Abeykoon; Sri Lankan Olympian and the fastest man in South Asia competed at the 12th Savona International Meet in Italy, on the 24th of May 2023 where he finished in second place, clocking in 10.01 seconds (+2.7 wind) in the Men’s 100m final.
Abeykoon came in a close second behind Reece Prescod of Great Britain who sprinted to first place with a timing of 9.94 seconds. The Sri Lankan sprinter clocked in 10.04 seconds (+2.7 wind) during the heats, coming in second behind Ghana’s Benjamin Azmati. The 12th International Meeting ‘Citta ‘Di Savona’ was Abeykoon’s first 100m event for the year 2023, with his second-place win being a strong start to the season.
Sri Lankan track and field athlete Yupun Abeykoon was born in Negombo, Sri Lanka, and grew up in the town of Pannala where his innate talent for athletics was fostered at a young age. Abeykoon later joined the Sri Lanka Army and was attached to the Electronic and Mechanical Engineering Regiment while representing the Army Sports Club. Deemed the ‘fastest man in South Asia’ in men’s 100m and 200m events, Abeykoon currently also holds the Sri Lankan national records for the men’s 100m, 200m, and men’s indoor 60m events.Â
Among Yupun Abeykoon’s many accolades, the gold medal he won at the 2019 South Asian Games for the 4×100 m relay and the bronze medal he received at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham brought him much praise and recognition in the international athletic arena. His achievements throughout the years consequently made him a Sri Lankan Olympian, making his debut at the 2020 Summer Olympics. Abeykoon is the first and only Sri Lankan to achieve direct qualification standards for the 2020 Summer Olympics although he was unable to proceed beyond the heats in the men’s 100m event.
Adding to his list of historic records, Yupun Abeykoon is also South Asia’s first athlete and the 4th Asian to be considered a sub-zero sprinter, breaking a 10-second barrier at the Résisprint International 2022 title in Switzerland.
An asset to Sri Lankan sports and a pride to the nation, Abeykoon has proved his exceptional talent and unwavering dedication in track and field events nationally and internationally. He is currently the only athlete to be eligible for the 2023 World Championships scheduled to be held in Budapest, holding the 19th position in the ‘Road to Budapest 2023’ rankings.
The star sprinter was set to compete in the Wanda Diamond League 2023 competition days after his second-place win in Italy, where he would have shared the track with current men’s 100m Olympians and world champions, but decided to forgo the meet due to a minor hamstring injury.
