Yupun Abeykoon
Yupun Abeykoon is a hard man to track down – literally! For one, he is domiciled far away from the shores of the island he grew up in, training hard in an equally beautiful country he has adopted for the sake of his career.
Sri Lanka’s star track and field athlete and national record holder in the men’s 100 metres and indoor 60 metres events is based in Italy in pursuit of his dreams.
This athletic hope of the nation has already tucked several great achievements under his belt. At present, he is regarded as the fastest Sri Lankan man as well as the fastest South Asian man in the men’s 100 metres discipline – even though he confides that he hardly ever stops to think about this.
ABOUT YUPUN
Q: Where does your passion for running come from?
A: I started my athletics career when I was in school and that was at the sports meet. Since then, I have been participating in athletics. During middle school, I competed in the triple jump too but then a coach identified my talent for running and speed, and trained me for the sprint events.
Q: Which three words would best describe your preparation for a race?
A: Mindset, confidence and competitiveness.
Q: How do you motivate yourself?
A: I always think about running the race for myself, which keeps me motivated and doesn’t give me much pressure when I go into the race.
Q: What is your usual diet – and what do you avoid eating or drinking?
A: I live in a sports academy in Italy. So the diets are very particular when it comes to an athlete’s meals.
Q: And how has the Sri Lanka Army supported you in your career?
A: The Sri Lanka Army supported me at the early stage of my career.
CAREER
Q: You are the fastest South Asian over 100 metres. How often do you stop to think about that – and how does it help you prepare for an event?
A: To be honest, I don’t think about it a lot because it’s not just me who tries to be the best.
There are thousands of athletes in South Asia who’re training hard and competing to become ‘the fastest man.’ Most people fall into their comfort zones when they think very highly of themselves or that they are the best. To be the best, you have to be humble and always train hard.
Q: What is it like out there waiting for the starting pistol? What goes through your mind at that time?
A: As I mentioned before, when I am competing, I only think about the end of that particular race. And always it runs through my mind that I’m going to do my very best each and every time I compete.
Q: What is the best advice you have received – and from whom?
A: The best advice I have received is from my coach because he always says to me: “Yupun, you have to believe in yourself.”
He always tells me that he believes in me the most – that is very motivating and it gives me confidence to believe in myself too.
TRACK RECORD
Sri Lanka’s fastest man
South Asia’s fastest man
Fastest 60m indoor in South Asia
Fastest in the 150m (Bend) in Asia
Fastest 200m in South Asia
First Sri Lankan to compete in a Diamond League
First Sri Lankan to directly qualify for the Tokyo Olympics in the 100m event
First Sri Lankan to win a Commonwealth Games medal in the 100m men’s event
