Asian Games : Tharushi wins Gold in the women's 800 meters

Tharushi Karunarathna won the Gold medal in the women's 800m event (2.03.20), at the Asian Games 2023, currently being worked off in China

Tharushi Karunarathna achieved a significant victory by winning the Gold medal in the women's 800m event with a time of 2 minutes and 3.20 seconds at the 2023 Asian Games held in China.

She secured the gold medal in the women's 800m event, marking a historic win for Sri Lanka in athletics after 21 years at the Asian Games. 

it marks Sri Lanka's first Gold medal in athletics at the Asian Games since 2002.

Tharushi Karunarathna's achievements in athletics in 2023 have been remarkable:

In June 2023, she secured the gold medal in the 800m women's race at the Asian Under 20 Junior Athletic Championships held in Yecheon, South Korea.

Tharushi also performed exceptionally well in other events during the same championship, winning silver in the 400m race and bronze in the 4 × 400m mixed relay.

At the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, she demonstrated her incredible talent by achieving a gold medal in the women's 800m race. Notably, she set a new Asian record with a remarkable time of 2 minutes and 0.06 seconds.

Meanwhile, Tharushi Karunarathna holds the record for both 400m & 800m events at the All Island School Games 2019 while being the gold medalist for both events. She too holds the record for the 800m at the Sir John Tarbot Senior Championships 2019 & is the gold medalist for both 400m & 800m. Ms.Tharushi was awarded the best female athlete under 16 at the provincial meet in 2019.

Tharushi Karunarathna, as stated earlier also achieved a remarkable victory by winning the gold medal in the women's 800m event on the final day of the 25th Asian Athletic Championship in June 2023. The championship, organized by the Asian Athletic Association (AAA), took place in Bangkok, Thailand, and featured athletes from 43 countries.

Tharushi's achievement was particularly impressive as she broke a long-standing record set by Zhang Sian of China in 1998. She completed the 800m event in an impressive time of 2 minutes and 0.66 seconds, surpassing the previous record of 2 minutes and 1.16 seconds. Her outstanding performance not only secured the gold medal but also set a new record in this prestigious competition.