By Dhammika Ratnaweera
Sri Lankan para-athlete Amara Indumathi has been upgraded to the gold medal at the T/54/46/47 women’s long jump at the Asian Para Games which was held in Jakarta last October. Indumathi who won the silver medal with 4.62m in this event upgraded for gold after Uzbekistan long jumper Abdullaeya Kamolakhon was found positive for anti-doping.
Kamolakhon was found guilty for fouling hearings and will now face a ban while being taken away her gold medal after the incident. She was tested positive for methasterone after a urine test on last October 8th. Meanwhile the bronze medallist Iranian Zahara Bornaki with 4.51 m upgraded to the silver medal and Sri Lankan Kumudu Priyanka who was finished fourth with 4.41m upgraded to third place with the bronze medal.
Indumathi, with vast experience in international experiences, expected to do well and win a medal at the recent Games and with this news, she is delighted that she could finally be finished with a gold medal. “I already took part in 12 International meets and won 14 medals and this time gold is very special,” she said.
Indumathi, a 32-year-old athlete who had lost her right hand hails from Monaragala, became the first Sri Lankan to represent Paralympics. She got chance to take part 2012 and 2016 Paralympics and also world Para athletic championships twice in 2013 and 2017. A dedicated para-athlete, Indumathi also won the bronze medal in 200m and silver medal in the long jump at the 2014 Para Asian Games held in Incheon, South Korea.
She is now preparing for the next World Para-Athletics championships and for which she is training with her present coach Harijan Ratnayake. “I am thankful to all my coaches who had helped me right throughout and to my workplace for their support and to the national paralympic committee for their assistance.
Sri Lankan 35 para-athletes took part at the last Para Asian Games and they received five gold, five silver and five bronze medals to finished 14th place out of 43 countries. However, the most disappointing factor was 173 able athletes participated for the Asian Games held in the same place Jakarta but they came back home with an empty hand.
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