Susanthika goes back to village life:

The sprint to motherhood

By Srian OBEYESEKERE

Born to the track a barefoot village lass of 11 years who grew up with the village food of `bath' (rice), `kos' (jack), `del' (breadfruit) and `manyokka' (manioc) personifying the might of village heritage to capturing the world - Susanthika Jayasinghe, who bid adieu to athletics a fortnight ago, says, "I've returned to my former village life which I love. I'm happy to be with my parents again and family members and to live the village life I once did."

Unsophisticated by the modern world that she has travelled the length and breadth of where the sport of athletics shines bright as the sunshine for a galaxy of sprint stars among whom our own Susanthika has dazzled the track from Sydney to the States, Europe, Britain, Greece and Athens and Beijing to mention a few, Susanthika, in selecting to settle down in the environs of Bandaragama in the Horana area, typically personifies the unspoilt lass who still believes that life and beauty lies in the village; like her much loved Warakapola where she was born.

And the once outspoken sportswoman, who like the louisville lip former world boxing great Muhammed Ali, had a habit of predicting when she ran, is all mellowed as she says that she wants to forget all about her athletic career and only devote her time to her baby on the way.

"As a woman, at 34 years the time is rife for me to concentrate purely on my family life and becoming a good housewife and to bring up my baby who is on the way," quips Susanthika in a chat with the 'Sunday Observer' with her beloved husband Dhammika by her side.

Bronze

Pregnant a few months, the iron woman of athletics, who like a man burnt the Sydney track in the year 2000 to achieve the challenging feat of staying among the top three for a bronze medal where unlike in cricket or football or rugby football a small slip can cost you a medal - finding only three winners is like finding a needle in a haystack - speaks looking at life in a different lane.

"Today, we hear of mothers going for white collar jobs leaving their little ones at home. But I can't do that. I want to bring up my baby the proper way by breast feeding the child.

I won't have the time to think of anything else. No anyway not just right now," replies Susanthika to the question whether she would take to coaching or a similar job in her former field.

Child birth

"Maybe sometime after child birth I will consider whether I should take to coaching.' Taking Susanthika away from her focus on bringing up a family and the homefront is not easy. But then when her attention is drawn to what was once her 'first love' of course she is willing to touch on it.

How would you like to look back at your career and the famous medal you won at the Sydney Olympics? And she first toys all focussed on the question not keen on becoming a mother and a housewife. And after some thought she replies briefly,"Very happy about it. I did what I could for my country."

Asked whether we would ever see another Susanthika on the track again, she is quick to shoot back that 'it will take a long, long time to produce another Susanthika Jayasinghe.'

But for that the former sprint queen insists that the athletic authorities will have to put in an effort to identify up and coming athletes and give them the proper training and guidance. It was their job to help athletes come up.

Asked whether she had received a farewell gift from the athletic fraternity, Susanthika was quick to appreciate the magnanimous gesture of President Mahinda Rajapaksa who had given her Rs. 5 million in recognition of her vast contribution to the country's athletics.

Indeed, Susanthika leaves behind a legacy. She will be remembered as the skinny barefoot athlete from Warakapola without the financial means to support her career who was not left to whither away by a caring school games mistress whose care saw her traverse to Colombo's heartland and stamp her class competing in a field of the elite.

Since, from South East Asia to Asia, Europe and Sydney beckoned Susanthika for her immense latent talent - a bundle of energy who was to put Sri Lanka on the world map in the athletic hemisphere going ahead of many a world champion including the likes of Merlene Ottey; destined to as she did bathe herself in the euphoria of bridging over a half a century (52 years) gap since Duncan White in 1948 to shine really bronze like.