Sri Lanka’s Olympic team gets new additions
New additions have been made to the team of athletes heading to the London Olympic Games!
In a final turn of events, Christine Sonali Merrill, 400m Hurdler will join Team Sri Lanka. In addition, it is likely that Thilini Jayasinghe will participate in the Women’s Singles event in Badminton; however, this is subject to the IOC’s Late Athlete Replacement Policy. The NOC is still awaiting final confirmation.
Sonali Merrill was born and raised in San Diego, California, United States of America. She attended Bakersfield Christian High School where she graduated as the Valedictorian and later went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, San Diego. She first took up running when her parents identified her talent. She recalls zipping up and down basketball courts and it was clear that she had speed. She joined her high school’s athletics team at which point it became apparent that she also possessed the fire to excel in competitions. Her grandparents also played a monumental role in her running – “My achchi and seeya had the greatest influence on my sporting career. I looked up to my achchi since she was the strongest woman I knew, and my seeya because he was my biggest fan.”
Sonali currently trains under Joey Tosta in the United States of America. She was the champion at the Sri Lankan National Athletic Championships in 2010 and 2011, and remains the current national record holder in the Women’s 400m hurdles event. During her time at university, she was also the NCAA Division II National Champion in 2009. One of her greatest achievements includes bringing immense glory to Sri Lanka at the 2011 Asian Championships in Kobe, Japan, where she competed incredibly and brought home a bronze medal. She names this win as her most memorable moment in sport. “I remember thinking at the 300m mark, ‘I’m not going home without a medal’ and then having a spectacular finish.” Sonali also participated in the 2011 IAAF World Championships.
Qualification in Athletics for the Olympics requires achievement of the Qualification Standards set by the International Association of Athletics Federation. National Olympic Committees are entitled to one unqualified entry per gender in Athletics; because Sri Lanka did not qualify females in any athletics events for London, the Sri Lanka Athletic Association put forward Sonali’s name due to her top ranking. Her participation in the Games was confirmed very recently and she will represent in the Women’s 400m Hurdles event. Sonali considers this the highest honour she could have ever received. “I have worked hard over the past two years trying to achieve the qualifying standard and am so grateful now that all of my hard work has paid off. I am determined to perform my best for my country and my people at the 2012 London Olympics.” Sonali would also like to particularly thank Palitha Fernando and Saman Kumara for their unwavering support on this journey.
After the Games, Sonali intends to share her experience with Sri Lanka, to encourage others to pursue their dreams, just as she did. While that will have to wait until her Olympic experience is complete, her advice starts now. “Always remember when figuring out your training plan or trying to find the new next best thing or thinking about your competitions: There is no substitution for hard work.”
Thilini Jayasinghe originates from Kandy where she attended Mahamaya College and was named Best Sports Woman in 2004. She took up badminton at the age of ten and has a great deal of competition experience. She has competed at the 2002, 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2011 Asian Championships with her best rank as a quarter finalist. She also competed at the 2006 and 2010 Asian Games as well as the 2006 and 2010 Commonwealth Games where she was also a quarter finalist. She won a silver medal at the 2006 South Asian Games and was the captain of the Sri Lankan team for the World Mixed Team Championship held in China. To top off her badminton success, she is also a former Olympian, the first woman shuttler to have represented Sri Lanka at the Olympic Games. She competed in Beijing 2008 after a one-month international training stint in India. This year, due to a last minute withdrawal of a women’s singles player from South Africa, a quota place has become available and it has been re-allocated to Thilini due to her world ranking of 109th place. Upon final approval from the International Olympic Committee, Thilini will join Team Sri Lanka in London.
- Courtesy NOC