Susanthika Jayasinghe

Deshabandu Kameradin Susanthika Jayasinghe^[2] (Sinhala: සුසන්තිකා ජයසිංහ; Tamil: சுசந்திகா ஜயசிங்ஹ, born December 17, 1975) is a Sri Lankan retired sprinter, who specialized in the 100 and 200 metres.^[3][4] She won the Olympic silver medal for the 200m event in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the second Sri Lankan to win an Olympic medal after Duncan White and the first Asian woman to win an Olympic or World Championship medal in a sprint event.^[5] She is also the only Asian athlete to have claimed an Olympic medal in sprint events. She is also the first and only Sri Lankan to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships. Her silver medal achievement at the 2000 Sydney Olympics also stood as the only Olympic medal for a South Asian in athletics event for 21 years before Neeraj Chopra's gold medal achievement at the 2020 Summer Olympics.^[6] She is fondly nicknamed as the Asian Black Mare.^[7] She has represented Sri Lanka at the Olympics on three occasions in 1996, 2000 and 2008. She is considered one of the most decorated sprinters in Sri Lanka. However, she is also a deemed as a controversial figure in Sri Lanka.

Susanthika Jayasinghe

Jayasinghe at the 2007 World Championships
Personal information
Native name	සුසන්තිකා ජයසිංහ
Nickname(s)	Asian Black Mare
Nationality	Sri Lankan
Born	(1975-12-17) December 17, 1975 (age 47) Uduwaka, Sri Lanka
Occupation	Sprinter
Years active	1994-2009
Sport
Country	Sri Lanka
Sport	Track and field
Event(s)	Sprint
International level	1994
Retired	5 February 2009
Achievements and titles
Olympic finals	2000 Sydney
Personal best(s)	100 m: 11.04^[1] September 9, 2000 (Yokohama, Japan) 200 m: 22.28 September 28, 2000 (Sydney, Australia)
Medal record Women's athletics Representing  Sri Lanka Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 1 0 World Championships 0 1 1 Continental Cup 0 1 1 Asian Games 1 2 1 Asian Championships 6 1 0 Lusophony Games 2 0 0 South Asian Games 4 0 0 Total 9 6 3 Event 1st 2nd 3rd 100 m 4 3 0 200 m 4 3 3 4x100 m relay 1 0 0 Olympic Games 2000 Sydney 200m World Championships 1997 Athens 200 m 2007 Osaka 200 m Continental Cup 2002 Madrid 100 m 2002 Madrid 200 m Asian Games 2002 Busan 100 m 1994 Hiroshima 200 m 2006 Doha 100 m 2006 Doha 200 m Asian Championships 1995 Jakarta 200 m 2000 Jakarta 4 x 100 m 2002 Colombo 100 m 2002 Colombo 200 m 2007 Amman 100 m 2007 Amman 200 m 1995 Jakarta 100 m Lusophony Games 2006 Macao 100 m 2006 Macao 200 m South Asian Games 1995 Chennai 100 m 1995 Chennai 200 m 2004 Islamabad 200 m 2006 Colombo 200 m
Updated on 7 September 2021.

She became a victim of politics during the peak of her career as many politicians and sports officials attempted to take credit for her medal achievements despite not supporting her prior to competing at the events.^[8] She was embroiled in political controversies including a series of false doping allegations, standoff with politicians, seven year old murder trials against her former spouse and sexual harassment.^[9] She was also sidelined for major part of her career due to injury concerns and also endured a troubled marriage life.^[10]

Early years

Jayasinghe was born in Ethnawala, Warakapola, Uduwaka, Sri Lanka. She was born as the fifth and youngest child in her family.^[11] She was brought up in a poor family in a small village 60 kilometres north of Colombo, where running spikes cost more than the average month's wage, she had no access to proper sports equipment or coaches.^[12]

Her father who served as a bus driver at the Ceylon Transport Board had eventually lost his job by the time she was born. The burden fell on the shoulders of her mother who cut rubber trees to run the family. Later on Susanthika too lent a helping hand to her family by rolling beedi. She earned around Rs. 22.50 by selling about 15000 beedis within four days.^[13] Despite the financial tussles, she pursued her primary education at the Uduwaka Junior School.^[14] She later switched to Athnawala Maha Vidyalaya to continue her studies.^[15]

She was encouraged to take up athletics by an army officer who watched her closely when she was running in an inter-school competition at the age of 16. The army officer who watched her event as a spectator recommended her to join Sri Lanka Army soon after completing the school education. She agreed his offer and signed up as a volunteer recruit and also trained hard in athletics while being attached with the army.^[16]

She enlisted in the Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force to pursue her athletic career, and was attached to the 3rd Battalion, Sri Lanka Army Women's Corps (SLAWC) as a Private. In 1994, she competed in the All Island Athletic Championship from a team from the SLAWC and won the best player trophy.^[17]

Professional athletics career

She rose to prominence at the age of 18 after claiming a gold in 200m and a silver in 100m events during the 1994 Asian Junior Championships which was held in Jakarta.^[18]

She thereafter joined the Sri Lankan national athletic squad competing in the 1994 Asian Games.^[19] She made her South Asian Games debut at the age of 15 during the 1995 edition and claimed gold medals in 100m and 200m sprint events. She also got due recognition for her silver medal performances in 100m events at the Australian Open and Taipei Open in 1995.

She made her maiden Olympic appearance at the age of 20 representing Sri Lanka at the 1996 Summer Olympics and competed in the women's 100m event.^[20] She clinched silver medal in the women's 200m race at the 1997 World Championships. She also became the first Sri Lankan to win a medal at the World Athletics Championships.^[21]

With no support from her national athletics association, she had to go heavily into debt to reach the Olympics. She faced severe financial constraints and mental challenges before her journey to the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She even auctioned and sold out all her trophies in order to raise adequate funds to buy tickets with the intention of training in the USA prior to the Sydney Olympics.

She qualified to take part at the 2000 Summer Olympics after winning the 100m sprint event at the National Athletics Championships. Notably, she competed in her first track event at the home soil after a gap of 2 years as she was sidelined for several months after sustaining a hamstring injury.^[22]

Just a month prior to the scheduled Olympic event, she bettered her own national record in 200m sprint event twice within just 2 days at the 25th National Sports Festival in August 2000. She also went onto claim gold medals in both 100m and 200m events at the 2000 National Sports Festival in her comeback return to the field after successfully recovering from a hamstring injury which ruled her out for several months.^[23]

In the women's 200 meters at the 2000 Summer Olympics, she finished behind Marion Jones and Pauline Davis-Thompson to win the bronze medal and became Sri Lanka's first Olympic medalist since 1948.^[24] On October 5, 2007, Jones admitted to having taken performance-enhancing drugs prior to the Olympics, and Jayasinghe was later awarded the silver medal.^[25][26]

Jayasinghe was suspended from competition in April 1998 for failing a drug test that she claimed was rigged because of her political beliefs and a falling out with a Sports Ministry official.^[27][28] She was later cleared of the offense.^[29] During a press conference for the women's 200m medalists at the 2000 Olympics, when asked whether her country would be proud of her, she said in a quiet voice:

"I can't explain. You wouldn't understand. They give me, trouble, trouble, trouble. I give them bronze medal. It'll make them sad... It was trouble with me. Doping and sexual harassment."

She alleged during a live segment on Lasantha Wickrematunge's show that the minister S. B. Dissanayake had attempted to sexually harass her.^[30] Later, Jayasinghe claimed that she did not specifically accuse Minister Dissanayaka.^[31] The television program where Susie made her allegations against S. B. Dissanayake which was aired on TNL TV was suspended after the involvement of powerful politicians.^[32]

She then went on to speak of officials coming to her house, giving her a drug test and refusing to seal the urine specimen with her watching. She refused to sign the release. Later they told her she had tested positive for nandrolone. By the time she was cleared, she was no longer welcome by her country's sporting establishment.^[33]

After returning home with her Olympic medal she was attacked by a male athlete because, she believed, she had been supporting former government members in an election campaign. It was believed that she reportedly wore a yellow ribbon around her wrist during the 2000 Summer Olympics women's 200m final and also during the medal ceremony in a show of support for a political movement.^[34] The Government of Sri Lanka failed to deliver an hero's welcome when she returned from Sydney with her bronze medal and instead the politicians of the government made scathing attack on her.^[35][13]

However, after her medal achievement she was supported by a national fundraising drive in her homeland. She visited Los Angeles to train with Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam (Asian Games Gold Medalist in the high jump in 1958, and two time Olympian in the high jump, in 1952 and 1956). In May 2001, she also underwent a four-month training stint from American coach Tony Campbell before competing at the 2001 World Athletics Championships.^[36]

She was the flag bearer for Sri Lanka during the opening ceremony of the 2004 Summer Olympics. She was slated to be on the entry list for the women's 100 metres but a fracture in her right leg caused her to pull out from the competition.^[37][38] She continued to struggle with injury concerns throughout 2005 and returned to action in 2006.^[39] On her comeback return she claimed gold medal in women's 200m event at the 2006 South Asian Games.^[40]

Shortly thereafter, she won gold medals in the 100 m and 200 m at the 2007 Asian Athletics Championships in Jordan and a bronze medal in the 200 m race at the 2007 IAAF World Championships. It was her first World Championship medal in 10 years.^[41] On 13 August 2007 she was ranked by the IAAF as 18th in the world for the 100 m sprint and 20th in the world for the 200 m sprint.

She also appeared as the flagbearer for Sri Lanka in both the opening and closing ceremonies of the 2008 Summer Olympics.^[42] She became the first and only Sri Lankan athlete to have appeared as a flagbearer in two Olympic events.

On February 5, 2009, Jayasinghe announced her retirement from sports^[43][44][45] in order to focus on becoming a mother.^[46] On March 31, 2009, she gave birth to a baby boy.^[47]

In November 2010, she announced her plan to return to competition.^[48][49]

Honours

She was awarded the Most Outstanding Sportswoman of the Year in 2008 by the then Sri Lankan President Mahinda Rajapakse.^[50]

She was conferred with the prestigious Deshabandu title during the 2017 Sri Lankan national honours by the then President Maithripala Sirisena.^[51][52]

Post-sports career

Jayasinghe contested the 2010 general election from the Kegalle district from the United People's Freedom Alliance, however failed to secure a seat.^[53][54] In 2016, she was appointed as an paid adviser in the Ministry of Sports for selecting and training prospective track athletes.^[55] In June 2017, she attempted to sell her silver medal due to suspension of her Sports Ministry pay.^[56][57] She accused the state and government officials of continuously neglecting her despite her Olympic achievement.^[58] She has also been a vocal critic of Sri Lanka Athletics Federation administrators over the years for the lackluster performances by Sri Lanka in athletics.^[59][60]

She accompanied the Sri Lankan Athletics contingent for the 2019 South Asian Games where unexpectedly Sri Lanka eclipsed the medal tally of India in athletics events during the Kathmandu South Asian Games and it also marked the first instance of Sri Lanka with a higher medal achievement than India in athletics at a South Asian Games competition after a gap of 15 years.^[61]

Personal life

She married her sports trainer Dhammika Nandakumara on 17 November 2000 at the Ambepussa Rest House. Susanthika was engaged to him in 1994 and the official wedding was arranged for them after a gap of six years following the silver medal achievement for her.^[62]

In 2016, she was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Diyatalawa Hospital after being diagnosed with dengue.^[63] In 2016, her husband was arrested for assaulting her. She was hospitalised and was discharged soon after.^[64] She has one son and one daughter.^[10]

On 14 September 2021, she along with her two children were tested positive for COVID-19 after undergoing a PCR test.^[61][65]

Personal bests

Event	Time	Date	Venue
100 m	11.04^[1]	September 9, 2000	Yokohama, Japan
200 m	22.28	September 28, 2000	Sydney, Australia

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
1994	Asian Games	Hiroshima, Japan	2nd	200 m
1995	Asian Championships	Jakarta, Indonesia	2nd	100 m
			1st	200 m
1997	World Championships	Athens, Greece	2nd	200 m
1999	IAAF Grand Prix Final	Munich, Germany	8th	200 m
2000	Summer Olympics	Sydney, Australia	2nd	200 m
2001	World Indoor Championships	Lisbon, Portugal	4th	200 m
2002	Asian Championships	Colombo, Sri Lanka	1st	100 m
			1st	200 m
	Commonwealth Games	Manchester, England	4th	100 m
	Asian Games	Busan, South Korea	1st	100 m
	IAAF World Cup	Madrid, Spain	2nd	100 m
			3rd	200 m
2006	Asian Games	Doha, Qatar	2nd	100 m
			3rd	200 m
2007	Asian Championships	Amman, Jordan	1st	100 m
			1st	200 m
	World Championships	Osaka, Japan	3rd	200 m

See also

• Duncan White
• Sriyantha Dissanayake
• Nagalingam Ethirveerasingam

Notes

1. Chris Dhambarage Sports striving for greater heights after Independence 4 February 2010. Retrieved 6 October 2019.
2. "National Honours – 2017". The Daily Mirror. 21 March 2017. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
3. . 2020-04-17. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
4. "Susanthika JAYASINGHE". Olympics.com. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
5. "Five South Asian sportspeople you should know more about". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
6. "Finally, South Asian wins Olympic medal in Athletics after Susanthika Jayasinghe in 2000". NewsWire. 2021-08-07. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
7. Nadeera, Dilshan. "Black Mare unaware her bronze turned silver". Retrieved 2021-09-07.
8. "Towards the real emancipation of women". Daily News. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
9. JAYASINGHE, AMAL. "Sri Lanka sprint star bitter after state neglect". Daily News. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
10. "The plight of an Olympian - Opinion | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
11. "Remembering Susanthika Sydney Olympics victory - fifteen years after". Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst. 2015-09-28. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
12. "Susanthika: Sri Lanka's Olympic Icon". Daily News. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
13. Krishnamohan, Theviyanthan (2014-10-10). "From abyss to summit: The story of Asia's only female Olympic medalist in sprinting". www.sportskeeda.com. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
14. "Susanthika begins a new crusade". Sunday Observer. 2020-10-03. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
15. "Sri Lanka Sports News | Online edition of Daily News - Lakehouse Newspapers". archives.dailynews.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
16. "The school race that changed her life". The Indian Express. 1997-08-12. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
17. "Sports History Of The Sri Lanka Army Volunteer Force". army.lk. Sri Lanka Army. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
18. "Susanthika's Olympic medal and her courageous journey on the track". Sunday Observer. 2021-07-10. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
19. "I'm looking for two gold medals: Susanthika". telegraphindia.com. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
20. . 2020-04-17. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
21. "Sri Lanka athletics dashing to a glorious century". Sunday Observer. 2020-05-16. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
22. "The Sunday Times Sports Section". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
23. "The Sunday Times Sports Plus Section". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
24. "Scripting a new chapter". Sportstar. 4 July 2003. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
25. "IOC reallocates Jones' medals". ESPN.com. ESPN. 9 December 2009. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
26. Grohmann, Karolos (2009-12-09). "Two of Jones' Sydney Games medals reallocated". Reuters. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
27. "Sri Lankan NOC hold webinar on sexual abuse and harassment in sport". www.insidethegames.biz. Retrieved 2021-09-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
28. "SUSANTHIKA JAYASINGHE QUEEN of the track".
29. "BBC News | South Asia | Sri Lankan cleared of drug charges". news.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
30. "The Sunday Times Political Column". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
31. "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Sport". Tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2021-09-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
32. "Police try to stop TNL repeat telecast of Susie on SB". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
33. Adrian Wojnarowski: A bit of foolishness to ease the tension 20 June 2010 at the Wayback Machine, Friday, September 29, 2000.
34. COLOMBO; heroine, Sri Lanka-Sixteen years ago sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe was a national; return, having become Sri Lanka's first woman to win an Olympic medal Today she is a struggling single mother with only bitterness towards a country she says has given her nothing in (2 August 2016). "Olympics: Sri Lanka sprint star bitter after state neglect". Rappler. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
35. Constable, Pamela (2000-10-09). "Sri Lankan Olympic Medalist Greeted By Controversy at Home". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
36. "Probe against Sri Lanka athletics body chief". Zee News. 2001-05-10. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
37. "Susanthika Jayasinghe". Hindustan Times. 2004-08-12. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
38. "Straight Talk by Lal Gunawardena". archives.sundayobserver.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
39. "Jayasinghe continues comeback season in good vein in Colombo | NEWS | World Athletics". www.worldathletics.org. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
40. "India reign at South Asian Games". www.rediff.com. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
41. "2007 What was". www.sundaytimes.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
42. . 2020-04-17. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
43. "Sri Lanka's sprint queen Susanthika hangs her boots". Zee News. 5 February 2009. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
44. "BBCSinhala.com | Sandeshaya | Susanthika - 'a born athlete'". www.bbc.com. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
45. "Sri Lanka Sports News | Online edition of Daily News - Lakehouse Newspapers". archives.dailynews.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
46. Athletic Assn. of Sri Lanka: "Latest Sri Lankan Athletics News" "It has been a long felt dream which would finally become a reality this year. I want to get that great feeling of becoming a mother, devote some time for my child and then look at how I am going to give something back to athletics."
47. LankanNewspapers.com: "News Image 41703 – Susanthika Jayasinghe gives birth to a son"
48. Gamini Gunaratna (28 November 2010). "Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka sprint queen to return to competition". Colombopage.com. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
49. "Lanka's Olympic medalist sprinter to return from retirement". The Times of India. 29 November 2010. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
50. . 2008-08-12. Archived from the original on 2008-08-12. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
51. Marasinghe, Sandasen (2021-09-07). "PRESIDENT AT NATIONAL HONOURS-2017 CEREMONY". Daily News (Sri Lanka).
52. "National Honours – 2017". The Daily Mirror (Sri Lanka). 2021-09-07.
53. "Susie to contest from Kegalle". Daily Mirror. 19 February 2010. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
54. "Sri Lanka minister says ruling party fielded recognized individuals for election". 28 February 2010. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
55. "Susanthika showers praise on Sports Minister". Daily News. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
56. "Sri Lanka Sports Minister denies Olympic medalist Susanthika's allegations". 5 June 2017. Retrieved 2019-10-06.
57. "Olympic Silver Medal: Susanthika suspends auction sale - Breaking News | Daily Mirror". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
58. "I have served the country more than Sports Minister – Susanthika". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-08.
59. "Susanthika faults administrators". www.dailymirror.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
60. "Susanthika wants athletic officials to follow military system". 29 June 2019.
61. Ranasinghe, Dinushki (2021-09-14). "Susanthika Jayasinghe tests positive for Covid-19". ThePapare.com. Retrieved 2021-09-15.
62. "She made the first move". archives.sundayobserver.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
63. "Sri Lanka's lone female Olympic medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe in ICU". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2021-09-07.
64. Susanthika hospitalised following assault husband arrested, archived from the original on 2021-12-22, retrieved 2021-09-07
65. "Susanthika Jayasinghe contracts COVID-19". www.adaderana.lk. Retrieved 2021-09-15.

External links

• Susanthika Jayasinghe at World Athletics 
• Susanthika Jayasinghe at Australian Athletics Historical Results 
• Susanthika Jayasinghe at Olympics.com 
• Susanthika Jayasinghe at Olympedia 
• Susanthika Jayasinghe at World Athletics

Olympic Games
Preceded by Damayanthi Dharsha	Flagbearer for   Sri Lanka Athens 2004 Beijing 2008	Succeeded by Niluka Karunaratne