Sri Lankan sprinter, Yupun Abeykoon, has officially announced his retirement from competitive athletics.
In a statement, Abeykoon said he is stepping away from the sport while carrying no debt to his country, but feeling indebted to the world for the opportunities and experiences athletics has given him.
“රට දැයට ණය නැතිව, ලෝකයට ණය වී ක්රීඩාවෙන් සමුගනිමි.”
In his retirement message, Abeykoon expressed heartfelt gratitude to everyone who supported his journey. He thanked his family, coaches, teammates, the Sri Lanka Army, Sri Lanka Athletics, his training team in Italy, sponsors, and the millions of Sri Lankans who stood by him throughout his career.
Reflecting on his journey, Abeykoon said that representing Sri Lanka and bringing international recognition to the nation has been the greatest honour of his life. However, he admitted that it is difficult to retire while still feeling capable of competing at the highest level.
The sprint star also revealed that he intends to share the reasons behind his retirement decision in the near future. He said he hopes to speak openly about his experiences and discuss the current state of Sri Lankan athletics as he begins the next chapter of his life.
