Yupun Abeykoon

Speed Seeker

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.

For a man who spends most of his waking hours dreaming of how to improve the speed at which he can propel his body, Yupun has little time for the luxury of resting on his laurels. It’s a credit to his humility that he says: “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’.”

There are other very significant achievements that he also doesn’t dwell on…

Abeykoon is the first and only Sri Lankan to have competed at the Diamond League, which is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one day meeting competitions.

In April, he exhilarated youngsters struggling for a real change to their life in Sri Lanka by setting a new Asian record in the men’s 150 metres event by clocking an awe-inspiring 15.16 seconds as he claimed the gold medal in the Perseo Trophy, which was held in Italy.

Then in early July, he set a Sri Lankan and South Asia record with a time of 9.96 seconds to win the 100 metres event at the Resisprint International competition in Switzerland.

And most recently, Abeykoon won a bronze medal in the men’s 100 metres at the Commonwealth Games in Birmingham in early August with a sprint to the finish line in 10.14 seconds – and so he became the first Sri Lankan to win a Commonwealth Games medal over this distance.

“This is just the start of more big things to come in the future. I’m going to keep working hard,” he was reported to have said at the time, perhaps alluding to the Summer Olympics in Paris in less than 24 months from now.

Pragmatic and focussed on his goals, Yupun believes that “most people fall into their comfort zones when they think very highly of themselves or that they are the best,” and says that “to be the best, you have to be humble and always train hard.”

“Most people fall into their comfort zones when they think very highly of themselves or that they are the best

He certainly inspires many with the quality of his character as much as with his accomplishments.

As he sets his sights on his next goal, and puts his head down in anticipation of the starting pistol – as the adrenaline rushes through his body in anticipation as he hurls himself down the track in quest of his dreams – Yupun Abeykoon, flag bearer of a nation’s pride and hope, carries with him not only his dreams but the dreams of us all.

We asked Yupun a few questions and this is what he had to share in our exclusive interview with the prince of sprint…

– Living

ABOUT YUPUN

DATE OF BIRTH
31 December 1994

EDUCATION
Pannala National School
St. Joseph Vaz College (Wennappuwa)

FAMILY MEMBERS
Father, mother and sister

HOBBIES
Watching other sports – especially Formula 1

AMBITION
To become a good trainer

LOVES
Watching sports
Playing GT

HATES
Seeing a natural talent go to waste
People not respecting each other

MUST-HAVE THINGS
Dreams
Plans
Energy for working out plans

MOTTO IN LIFE
Something is better than nothing

“To be the best, you have to be humble and always train hard

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.

“As I’m a full-time athlete, a typical day would be spent mostly in training, and focussing on my health and fitness

Q: Has living and training in Italy contributed to your progress – and if so, how?
A: Yes, it has. Technology, the science of sport and innovations in sport are highly accessible here in Italy. Therefore, it makes it easier for me here with all these advancements, to train to get better every day and work towards my goals.

Q: What are the pleasures of competing in fast track events?
A: I am honoured to be able to compete in this type of event. Because as you know, in any athletics competition, this is one of the races that everyone looks forward to.

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: Have you made friends with other runners in your class and do you share tips? Or is it competitive and aggressive?
A: Yes, we do make friends. Right now, I train with some of the athletes who are the best in Italy. I also work with very good upcoming talent. So we share a lot of things with each other.

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.

“The World Athletics Championships are coming up [in Budapest next August] so I’m eagerly looking forward to doing my best at the games

Life and Lifestyle

Q: What is your definition of ‘success’? What gives you a sense of true achievement?
A: Dreaming big and working hard towards my goals without ever giving up.

Q: How would your closest circle describe you?
A: They would say: “Yupun Abeykoon would never give up on his goals. He is a person who chases his dreams.”

Q: One thing you miss from home is…?
A: Friends

Q: What personal sacrifices have you had to make?
A: There’re so many sacrifices that I’ve had to make – there are too many to mention here.

Q: What’s a typical day like for you?
A: As I’m a full-time athlete, a typical day would be spent mostly in training, and focussing on my health and fitness.

Q: And do you have a good luck charm?
A: No, I don’t.