Sri Lankan sprint star Yupun Abeykoon retires from competitive athletics

Sri Lankan sprinter Yupun Abeykoon announced his retirement from competitive athletics on Tuesday, ending a career in which he became the first South Asian to run the men’s 100 metres in under 10 seconds.

The 31-year-old announced his decision at an online press conference, saying he had fulfilled his dream but citing the absence of a proper system to reward medal-winning athletes and a lack of professionalism in Sri Lankan athletics.

Abeykoon holds the Sri Lankan men’s 100m record of 9.96 seconds, which he set at the Résisprint International meeting in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, on 3 July 2022.

The performance made him the first Sri Lankan and South Asian sprinter to break the 10-second barrier. His time remains among the fastest recorded by an Asian athlete.

Abeykoon also holds Sri Lankan records in the 200m, with a time of 20.37 seconds, and the indoor 60m. He set an Asian best of 15.16 seconds in the 150m.

His greatest achievement at a major championship came at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham, where he won bronze in the men’s 100m. The medal ended Sri Lanka’s long wait for a sprint medal at a major multi-sport event.

He also represented Sri Lanka at the Tokyo Olympic Games, becoming the country’s only male track athlete at the event.

Abeykoon trained in Italy under coach Claudio Licciardello and competed regularly on the European circuit, including at Diamond League meetings. His performances established him as one of Asia’s leading sprinters and inspired a new generation of Sri Lankan athletes.

During the press conference, Abeykoon thanked his former schools, the Sri Lanka Electrical and Mechanical Engineers regiment of the Sri Lanka Army, former Sri Lanka Athletics president Palitha Fernando, Sri Lanka Cricket, his coaching team in Italy and the Sri Lankan public.

He said retirement had not been an easy decision, but broader weaknesses in the country’s athletics system had contributed to it.

Abeykoon retires as the fastest Sri Lankan sprinter in history and one of the most successful track athletes the country has produced.