Yupun Abeykoon

Yupun Abeykoon
Born	Abeykoon Mudiyansalage Yupun Priyadarshana (1994-12-31) December 31, 1994 Near Pannala, Negombo, Western Province, Sri Lanka
Occupation	Sprinter
Years active	2013–present
Known for	First South Asian to run under 10 seconds in men's 100m; national record holder in 100m, 200m, and indoor 60m

Abeykoon Mudiyansalage Yupun Priyadarshana, commonly known as Yupun Abeykoon (), and sometimes referred to as Yupun Priyadarshana (born 31 December 1994), is a distinguished Sri Lankan sprinter holding national records in the men's 100m, 200m, and indoor 60m events. On 3 July 2022, at the Resisprint International in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland, he made history as the first South Asian athlete to run under 10 seconds in the men's 100m, clocking a time of 9.96 seconds. Since 2015, he has been residing in Italy on an athletic scholarship and represents the Army Sports Club as a member of the Electronic and Mechanical Engineering Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army. Abeykoon is widely acknowledged as the fastest male sprinter from both Sri Lanka and South Asia in the 100m and 200m disciplines.

He holds the distinction of being the sole Sri Lankan competitor ever to participate in the Diamond League circuit. In April 2022, he set a new Asian record in the men's 150m with a time of 15.16 seconds. Subsequently, on 22 May 2022 at Stadio Zecchini in Grosseto, Italy, he captured first place in the men's 200m while establishing a national record of 20.37 seconds. Shortly after, on 25 May 2022 at Paul-Greifzu-Stadion in Dessau, Germany, he secured victory in the men's 100m with a fresh national record of 10.06 seconds.

Biography

Born near Pannala in Negombo, Western Province, Abeykoon received his early education at Pannala National School. His passion for athletics was sparked by Olympic medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe. At age sixteen, following his coach’s advice, he transferred to St. Joseph Vaz College, Wennepuwa to further his athletic development.

Abeykoon is an enthusiast of MotoGP racing and maintains familial connections to Italy through his father’s previous employment there.

Career

Yupun Abeykoon launched his international athletics journey at the 2013 South Asian Junior Athletics Championships, initially competing in triple jump before transitioning to sprinting events. He earned a bronze medal in the men's 4 × 100 m relay at the 2015 Military World Games. His sprinting capabilities were significantly enhanced under the mentorship of Olympian Claudio Licciardello during training sessions in Italy.

At the 2019 South Asian Games, he contributed to winning gold in the men's 4 × 100 m relay alongside teammates Chanuka Sandeepa, Himasha Eashan, and Vinoj Suranjaya, setting new national and South Asian Games records.

On 8 September 2020 in Germany, Abeykoon set new South Asian and Sri Lankan national records for the men's 100m with a time of 10.16 seconds, earning him recognition as "South Asia's fastest man." Later that month, he secured a bronze medal at Switzerland’s Gala dei Castelli World Athletics Bronze Level Series Meet, becoming the first Sri Lankan sprinter since the 1990s to achieve a podium finish at a major international competition.

In January 2021, he established a new national indoor record for the 60m sprint (6.59 seconds) during the Italian indoor championships. By May of that year, he had surpassed his own national record twice: first recording 10.15 seconds at Meeting di Savona and then improving to 10.09 seconds at Anhalt in Germany. His world ranking peaked at number 48 by June after finishing fourth at the Florence Diamond League meet—the first Sri Lankan athlete to compete at this elite level. He earned direct qualification for Sri Lanka’s men’s 100m event at the 2020 Summer Olympics, marking a historic return since Sri Lanka last qualified directly for this event in 1996 and making him the first South Asian sprinter in over thirty years to achieve this feat. At Tokyo, Abeykoon finished sixth in his heat with a timing of 10.32 seconds and had the honor of serving as Sri Lanka’s flagbearer during the closing ceremony.

In September 2021, he placed ninth in the men’s 100m final at the Weltklasse Zürich Diamond League meeting.

On 24 April 2022, Abeykoon set a new Asian record for the men’s 150m with a time of 15.16 seconds at Italy’s Perseo Trophy competition, surpassing Japan's previous benchmark. Later that year, he was selected to represent Sri Lanka in his inaugural appearance at the Commonwealth Games.

During May 2022, Abeykoon broke national records in both men’s sprint events: clocking 20.37 seconds in the men’s 200m and achieving a new best of 10.06 seconds in the men’s 100m at international competitions held in Italy and Germany respectively. At June's BAUHAUS-galan Diamond League meet, he narrowly missed out on a bronze medal by just two hundredths of a second.

On July 3rd, 2022, Abeykoon became not only Sri Lanka’s but also South Asia’s first sprinter—and only the fourth athlete from Asia overall—to run under ten seconds (9.96) in the men’s 100m at Switzerland's Résisprint International event. This achievement positioned Sri Lanka as the thirty-second nation worldwide to produce a sub-10-second sprinter and elevated Abeykoon into an exclusive global sprinting elite. Motivated by Indian Olympian Neeraj Chopra's example, he strives to inspire aspiring athletes throughout South Asia.

In July of that year, Abeykoon qualified as Sri Lanka’s lone male participant for his debut appearance at the 2022 World Athletics Championships, entering as Asia's fastest sprinter with a global ranking of fifteenth for that season. Despite visa-related delays impacting team participation, he competed but did not progress beyond preliminary heats with a time of 10.19 seconds.

At August's Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022, Abeykoon earned bronze in the men's 100m final with a timing of 10.14 seconds—Sri Lanka's first Commonwealth athletics medal since 1998 and its inaugural medal ever in either men’s or women’s individual sprint events over this distance. He also recorded a new fastest-ever heat time for Commonwealth Games competition with a mark of 10.06 seconds and was notably the only Asian athlete to reach that final round.

In May of 2024, Abeykoon claimed victory in the men’s 100m event at Germany's Anhalt Athletic Championship with a winning time of 10.16 seconds.

In media

The English-language Sri Lankan newspaper Sunday Observer encountered backlash from political figures, including Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa, due to its headline "Pathetic Yupun cuts a sorry figure," which appeared after Abeykoon finished sixth in his men's 100m heat at the 2020 Summer Olympics.