Sri Lanka’s greatest cricketing son, Arjuna Ranatunga, who led the country’s cricket team to the World Cup victory in 1996 and retired from international cricket at the recently completed South African series, returned to the public arena today, when he paid tribute to the remarkable sprinting performance of Susanthika Jayasinghe, at a meeting organised by the Alliance for democracy.
Jayasinghe, who won a bonze medal in the 200 metres at the Sydney Olympics, was the first Sri Lanka woman to have won an Olympic medal since Duncan White won Silver in 1948. She returned to Sri Lanka this morning and was accorded a hero’s welcome.
Arjuna Ranatunga compared her performance to the success of the Sri Lankan cricket team in the 1996 World Cup. “This is the top height that an individual person of this country has gone up to, and that achievement is greater than the world cup victory in 1996.”
“It is not easy for the sportsmen and women of this small country to achieve international success. It demands a lot of commitment and dedication. Susanthika’s performance is particularly special because of the fact that she is also an athlete from the outstation areas.
This was the first time since Ranatunga’s Felicitation press conference at the end of the South African series that he has appeared in a public meeting. Today’s meeting was organised by the Alliance for Democracy, a movement in Sri Lanka for free and fair elections in the coming polls.
His presence at the meeting will have been a real boost to the Alliance, which shot to prominence when Susanthika wore the symbolic yellow band during the Olympic qualifying heats.
Prior to his retirement, Arjuna Ranatunga, had been widely expected to contest the General Elections as a candidate for the recently formed “Sihala Urumaya”, which is a Sinhalese Heritage party.
However he visited Australia for a holiday immediately after his retirement and has maintained a low profile since his return. So far he has given no inclination of being ready to enter into a political career.
© CricInfo
| Teams | Sri Lanka. |
| Players/Umpires | Arjuna Ranatunga. |
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