In order to reward Tharushi Karunaratne for winning the gold medal in the women’s 800m event at the ongoing 19th Asian Games, Sri Lanka Cricket has agreed to give her an award of Rs. 10 million.
The 19-year-old on Wednesday, October 4, ran the women’s 800 metres in 2.03.20 seconds to win the gold medal at the continental multi-sport competition taking place in Hangzhou, China.
Karunarathna received praise from the national cricket regulating body for her tireless but persistent efforts and for making history by earning the nation’s first athletics gold medal in 21 years.
Earlier, the Sri Lankan sprinter finished the race in 2:00:06 minutes, breaking both the Asian and national records at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championship in Bangkok, Thailand.
At the 2019 All-Island School Games, Karunarathna held the 400- and 800-meter records and won the gold medal in each event. Additionally, she is the 800m record holder at the 2019 Sir John Tarbat Senior Championships and the 400m and 800m gold medalist. At the provincial competition in 2019, she won the prize for the best female athlete under 16.
