Olympic medallist Susanthika Jayasinghe to promote women's cricket in Sri Lanka

Sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe has been roped in as a consultant by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) to boost women’s cricket in the country.

Jayasinghe, who had humble beginnings, went on to win silver medals at the Olympics and the world championships. The 47-year-old Susanthika Jayasinghe has been appointed as a consultant for mentoring and development of Sri Lankan women's cricketers.

After a distinguished career in athletics, Jayasinghe will look to inspire the present and future generations of women cricketers in Sri Lanka through “her story of grit and determination.”

“I am extremely happy with this new challenge, as it gives me an opportunity to help young women athletes take up the game, cope with the challenges, and go on to become the stars they deserve to be in the future,” Susanthika Jayasinghe said.

Susanthika Jayasinghe also met with Sri Lanka’s national women's team ahead of its departure to South Africa for ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2023.

Susanthika Jayasinghe hailed from a poor family in a village on the outskirts of Colombo. She won a 200m silver medal at the 1997 world championships in Athens. It was Sri Lanka’s first medal in the history of the competition.

Three years later, Susanthika Jayasinghe won silver in the 200m at the Sydney 2000 Olympics. It was the first time that an Asian woman stood on the podium in a sprint event at the Summer Games.

In 2007, Susanthika Jayasinghe won a 200m bronze at the world championships in Osaka. She remains Sri Lanka’s only medallist at the world athletics championships.

Jayasinghe also won a gold medal in the 100m at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea apart from two silvers and a bronze from other editions. At the Asian championships, Susanthika Jayasinghe bagged six golds and a silver.