Damayanthi Dharsha
{{short description|Sri Lankan sprinter}}
{{Infobox sportsperson
| honorific_prefix = Deshabandu
| name = Damayanthi Dharsha
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| native_name = දමයන්ති දර්ශා
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| fullname = Damayanthi Dharsha-Kobalavithanage
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| nationality = Sri Lankan
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1975|02|13}}
| birth_place = Panadura, Sri Lanka
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| country = Sri Lanka
| sport = Track and field
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| event = Sprint
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| retired = 2007
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| pb = 200 m: 22.48{{cite web|title=Personal Best|url=http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/sri-lanka/kvdamayanthi-dharsha-67222|publisher=International Association of Athletics|access-date=10 November 2015}} (Bangkok 1998)
400 m: 51.05 (Jakarta 2000)
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| show-medals = yes
| medaltemplates = {{Medal|Sport | Women's athletics }}
{{Medal|Country | {{SRI}} }}
{{MedalCount
| Asian Games | 3|0|1
| Asian Championships | 4|1|0
| Total|7|1|1
}}
{{MedalCount
| 200 m | 3|1|1
| 400 m | 4|0|0
}}
{{Medal|Competition|Asian Games}}
{{Medal|Gold | 1998 Fukuoka | 400 m }}
{{Medal|Gold | 1998 Bangkok | 200 m }}
{{Medal|Gold | 2002 Busan | 400 m }}
{{Medal|Bronze | 1994 Hiroshima | 200 m }}
{{Medal|Competition | Asian Championships }}
{{Medal|Gold | 1998 Bangkok | 400 m }}
{{Medal|Gold | 2000 Jakarta | 200 m }}
{{Medal|Gold | 2000 Jakarta | 400 m }}
{{Medal|Gold|2000 Jakarta|4×100 m}}
{{Medal|Gold | 2005 Busan | 200 m }}
{{Medal|Silver | 1993 Manila | 200 m }}
{{Medal|Bronze|2002 Colombo|4×400 m}}
| medaltemplates-title =
| module3 =
| updated = 10 November 2015
}}
Deshabandu Kobala Vithanage Damayanthi Dharsha-Kobalavithanage (born 13 February 1975) is a retired Sri Lankan athlete who competed in the 200 and 400 metres race events.{{Cite web|title=K.V.Damayanthi DARSHA|url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/k-v-damayanthi-darsha|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Olympics.com}}{{Cite web|title=Athletics - Damayanthi Dharsha (Sri Lanka)|url=https://www.the-sports.org/damayanthi-dharsha-athletics-spf650930.html|access-date=2021-07-15|website=www.the-sports.org}} She is the current Asian Games record holder in women's 200m event and current Asian Athletics Championships record holder in women's 400m event as well as national record holder in women's 400m. She is regarded as one of the greatest track and field athletes to have represented Sri Lanka at international level alongside her teammate Susanthika Jayasinghe.{{Cite web|last=Ranasinghe|first=Dinushki|date=2020-05-08|title=A message from Damayanthi Darsha on COVID-19|url=https://www.thepapare.com/message-from-damayanthi-darsha-on-corona-virus-2020-athletics-news/|access-date=2021-07-15|website=ThePapare.com|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=A depleted Lankan contingent on the track|url=https://www.sundaytimes.lk/090426/Sports/sp202.html|access-date=2021-07-15|website=www.sundaytimes.lk}} She is also regarded as the most successful Sri Lankan athlete at the Asian Games with a medal haul of four medals including three gold medals and became the first Sri Lankan female athlete to clinch three Asian Games gold medals.{{Cite web|title=Asian Games Medal winners|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/180812/sports/asian-games-medal-winners-306331.html|access-date=2021-07-15|website=The Sunday Times Sri Lanka}} She represented Sri Lanka at the Olympics on three occasions in 1992, 2000 and 2004.{{Cite web|date=2017-03-17|title=ක්රීඩා ප්රතිරූ - ආසියාවේ කළු වෙළඹ දමයන්ති දර්ශා|url=https://www.thepapare.com/damayanthi-dharsha-kreeda-prathiroo-episode-1/|access-date=2021-07-15|website=ThePapare.com|language=en-US}} She also represented Sri Lanka at the Commonwealth Games on four occasions in 1994, 1998, 2002 and 2006 as well as at the South Asian Games on four occasions.
She now has migrated and lives in Melbourne, Australia.
Biography
Dharsha was born on 13 February 1975 in Panadura. However, she along with her family moved to her father's hometown in Ampara at her young age.{{Cite web|date=2019-01-08|title=Darsha: First Sri Lankan schoolgirl to take part in the Olympics|url=https://www.ceylonathletics.com/2019/01/08/14708/|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Sri Lanka Athletics News & information Portals|language=en-US}} She pursued her primary education at the Ampara Bandaranaike Maha Vidyalaya for a brief period of time. She along with her family returned to Panadura mainly due to the threat of LTTE which emerged in 1983 and she initially attended St. John's College for one year before transferring to Panadura Balika Maha Vidyalaya. She started competing in track and field events since the age of 13 in 1988 after joining the Panadura Balika Maha Vidyalaya. She was coached by former Sri Lankan Olympian Sunil Gunawardene. She also obtained scholarship to join the Ladies' College, Colombo in 1991 due to her success in athletics at the school level competitions. She married Eranda Siriwardane in 2003 and has three children.{{Cite web|last=Rodrigopulle|first=Elmo|title=Flying Princess DAMAYANTHI DARSHA|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2019/01/25/tc/175404/flying-princess-damayanthi-darsha|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Daily News|language=en}}
Career
She gained her first international experience at the 1991 Malaysian Open. She made an initial impact at just 16 years when she won the 100 metres gold medal at the 1991 South Asian Games in Colombo with a new record. She broke into the limelight by winning the 100 metre gold at the Asian Junior Championships in the same year. She also eventually won the national titles in both women's 100m and 200m events at the 1991 National Athletics Championships.
She was chosen to represent Sri Lanka as a first-choice athlete at the 1992 Summer Olympics at the age of 17 and became the youngest Sri Lankan to compete at the Olympics.{{Cite web|title=Damayanthi Darsha - the youngest Lankan athlete to take part in Olympics|url=http://www.dailynews.lk/2021/05/12/sports/249054/damayanthi-darsha-youngest-lankan-athlete-take-part-olympics|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Daily News|language=en}} She also became the first Sri Lankan schoolgirl to participate in the Olympics. The 1992 Barcelona Olympics also marked her maiden Olympic appearance and she competed in the women's 100m and 200m events. Following the 1992 Olympics, she participated in an invitational athletics meet in Malaysia and secured gold medals in 100m and 200m events in the competition. In the same year, she received the Duncan White Trophy.
In 1993, she attended a special training session in Australia. She claimed her first international medal during the 1993 Asian Athletics Championships securing a silver medal in the 200m event with a timing of 23.29 seconds. She claimed gold medal in the 100m event at the 1994 Asian Junior Athletics Championships and set a new Asian Junior Championships record in the women's 100m event with a timing of 11.42 seconds. During the same Asian Junior Championships, she claimed silver medal in the women's 200m event and finished just behind Susanthika Jayasinghe.
She won the bronze medal in the 200 metres behind Chinese Taipei's Wang Huei-Chen and teammate Susanthika Jayasinghe at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima.{{Cite web|title=Sunday Musings -When to pick up the shining pebble|url=https://www.sundaytimes.lk/080831/Sports/Sunday%20Musings.html|access-date=2021-07-15|website=www.sundaytimes.lk}} That was the beginning of a dominant period for Sri Lanka in women's sprinting with Jayasinghe and Darsha seriously challenging the Chinese.{{Cite web|date=1999-01-31|title=Run Dharsha, run|url=https://www.himalmag.com/run-dharsha-run/|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Himal Southasian|language=en-GB}}
She had a remarkable run in 1998 claiming three gold medals at the Asian regional competitions. She claimed her first gold medal in her career in the women's 400m event at the 1998 Asian Athletics Championships and followed it up with gold medals in women's 200m and 400m events at the 1998 Asian Games.{{Cite web|date=September 10, 2018|title=In South Asia high income does not mean more medals {{!}} More sports News - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/sports/more-sports/others/in-south-asia-high-income-does-not-mean-more-medals/articleshow/65748599.cms|access-date=2021-07-15|website=The Times of India|language=en}} At the 1998 Asian Games, she also set Asian Games record in women's 200m with a new record of 22.48 seconds.{{Cite web|title=Asian Games 2018: Meet the record-holders in athletics|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/galleries/sport/2018/jul/26/asian-games-2018-meet-the-record-holders-in-athletics-101682.html|access-date=2021-07-15|website=The New Indian Express}}{{Cite web|last=Mehrish|first=Akshat|date=2018-08-17|title=Asian Games 2018: All the Games Records in Athletics|url=https://www.sportskeeda.com/athletics/asian-games-2018-all-the-games-records-in-athletics|access-date=2021-07-15|website=www.sportskeeda.com|language=en-us}}{{Cite web|title=Online edition of Daily News - Sports|url=http://archives.dailynews.lk/2002/10/11/spo01.html|access-date=2021-07-15|website=archives.dailynews.lk}}
She made her second appearance at the Olympics in her athletic career in 2000 after failing to qualify for the 1996 Olympics. She was also the flag bearer for Sri Lanka during the opening ceremony of the 2000 Sydney Olympics at the age of 25. She also held the record for being the youngest ever Sri Lankan flag bearer at the Olympics until it was surpassed by Milka Gehani at the 2020 Summer Olympics.{{Cite web|last=Seneviratne|first=Akhila|date=2021-07-12|title=Sri Lankan Flag Bearers at the Olympics: Carrying more than just a flag|url=https://www.thepapare.com/sri-lankan-flag-bearers-at-the-olympics-carrying-more-than-just-a-flag/|access-date=2021-07-15|website=ThePapare.com|language=en-US}} She defended her 400m title at the 2000 Asian Athletics Championships with a new Asian Championship record of 51.05 seconds and also claimed gold medal in the 200m event during the Asian Championships in the same year. She also successfully defended her 400m gold medal at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan. She claimed bronze medal in the women's 4 × 400 m relay at the 2002 Asian Athletics Championships. In addition, she also joined the MAS Holdings in 2003 as a senior HR executive.
She made her third and final Olympic appearance at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Her last international appearance for Sri Lanka came during the 2006 Commonwealth Games. In July 2007, Dharsha announced her retirement from athletics.{{Cite web |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/tss/tss3027/stories/20070707508202500.htm |title=The Hindu Sportstar Weekly, July 7, 2007: "Darsha calls it a day" |access-date=December 10, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206111500/http://www.hinduonnet.com/tss/tss3027/stories/20070707508202500.htm |archive-date=February 6, 2010 |url-status=usurped }}
She represented Sri Lanka along with former veteran cricketer Mahela Jayawardene in a ten-team celebrity street cricket game during the opening ceremony of the 2019 Cricket World Cup.{{Cite web|date=2019-05-29|title=Cricket World Cup 2019, Opening Ceremony Highlights|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/sports/cricket-world-cup-2019/story/icc-cricket-world-cup-2019-opening-ceremony-live-updates-the-mall-london-celebrity-guests-1537828-2019-05-29|access-date=2021-07-15|website=India Today|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Damayanthi Darsha of Sri Lanka bats during the ICC Cricket World Cup...|url=https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/news-photo/damayanthi-darsha-of-sri-lanka-bats-during-the-icc-cricket-news-photo/1152475706|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Getty Images|language=en-us}}
In 2021, she contested in the elections for the post of Vice President of Sri Lanka Athletics Association and was elected as the Vice President of Sri Lanka Athletics Association.{{Cite web|date=2021-03-20|title=Damayanthi Dharsha contests VP post at SLA|url=http://archives1.sundayobserver.lk/2021/03/21/sports/damayanthi-dharsha-contests-vp-post-sla|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Sunday Observer|language=en}} She also became the first female Vice President of SLA and was appointed as the head of the women's sub committee of Technical Officials and Media.{{Cite web|title=Daily Mirror - Sri Lanka Latest Breaking News and Headlines - Print Edition Veteran athletics official G.L.S. Perera heads Technical Officials sub-committee|url=https://www.dailymirror.lk/print/sports/Veteran-athletics-official-G-L-S-Perera-heads-Technical-Officials-sub-committee/244-215644|access-date=2021-07-15|website=www.dailymirror.lk|language=en}}{{Cite web|title=Olympian Darsha wins race to become a Sri Lanka Athletics vice-presidents|url=http://www.sundaytimes.lk/210425/sports/olympian-darsha-wins-race-to-become-a-sri-lanka-athletics-vice-presidents-441283.html|access-date=2021-07-15|website=Print Edition - The Sunday Times, Sri Lanka}}
International competitions
| {{AchievementTable|Event=yes}} |
| colspan="6"|Representing {{SRI}} |
|---|
| rowspan=2|1992
|rowspan=2|Olympic Games |rowspan=2|Barcelona, Spain |38th (h) |100 m |
| 29th (qf)
|200 m |
| 1993
|bgcolor="silver" | 2nd |200 m |23.29 |
| 1994
|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd |200 m |23.61 |
| rowspan=2|1995
|rowspan=2|World Championships |rowspan=2|Edmonton, Canada |38th (h) |100 m |
| 28th (qf)
|200 m |
| 1997
|22nd (qf) |400 m |
| rowspan=5|1998
|bgcolor="gold" | 1st |400 m |51.23 |
| Commonwealth Games
|4th |400 m |
| rowspan=3|Asian Games
|rowspan=3|Bangkok, Thailand |bgcolor="gold" | 1st |200 m |
| bgcolor="gold" | 1st
|400 m |
| 6th
|4 × 400 m relay |
| rowspan=2|1999
|rowspan=2|World Championships |rowspan=2|Seville, Spain |37th (h) |200 m |
| 31st (qf)
|200 m |
| rowspan=3|2000
|rowspan=2|Asian Championships |rowspan=2|Jakarta, Indonesia |bgcolor=gold|1st |200 m |
| bgcolor=gold|1st
|400 m |
| Olympic Games
|23rd (qf) |400 m |
| rowspan=5|2001
|rowspan=2|World Indoor Championships |rowspan=2|Lisbon, Portugal |12th (sf) |200 m |
| –
|400 m |DNF |
| rowspan=3|World Championships
|rowspan=3|Edmonton, Canada |10th (sf) |200 m |
| 19th (sf)
|400 m |
| 8th (h)
|4 × 100 m relay |
| rowspan=5|2002
|rowspan=3|Commonwealth Games |rowspan=3|Manchester, United Kingdom |14th (sf) |200 m |
| 22nd (sf)
|400 m |
| 6th (f)
|4 × 100 m relay |
| Asian Championships
|bgcolor=cc9966|3rd |4 × 400 m relay |
| Asian Games
|bgcolor=gold|1st |400 m |
| rowspan=2|2003
|24th (h) |400 m |
| Asian Championships
|3rd (h) |200 m |
| 2004
|38th (h) |400 m |
| 2005
|bgcolor=gold|1st |200 m |
| 2006
|16th (sf) |200 m |
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{sports links}}
{{Footer Asian Games Champions 200 metres Women}}
{{Footer Asian Games Champions 400 metres Women}}{{Footer Asian Champions women's 200 metres}}{{Footer Asian Champions women's 400 metres}}{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dharsha, Damayanthi}}
Category:Sri Lankan female sprinters
Category:Olympic athletes for Sri Lanka
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1992 Summer Olympics
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2000 Summer Olympics
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics
Category:Asian Games gold medalists for Sri Lanka
Category:Asian Games bronze medalists for Sri Lanka
Category:Asian Games medalists in athletics (track and field)
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Asian Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Asian Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Asian Games
Category:Commonwealth Games competitors for Sri Lanka
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1998 Commonwealth Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 2006 Commonwealth Games
Category:World Athletics Championships athletes for Sri Lanka
Category:Medalists at the 1994 Asian Games
Category:Medalists at the 1998 Asian Games
Category:Medalists at the 2002 Asian Games
Category:Athletes (track and field) at the 1994 Commonwealth Games
Category:South Asian Games gold medalists for Sri Lanka
Category:South Asian Games medalists in athletics
Category:Alumni of Ladies' College, Colombo
Category:Alumni of St. John's College, Panadura
Category:Sportspeople from Panadura
Category:Sri Lankan business executives
Category:Sri Lankan businesspeople
Category:Olympic female sprinters