Yupun Abeykoon

He was ranked in 65th position in the Road to Olympic Rankings prior to competing at the Rome Diamond League.

Abeykoon Mudiyansalage Yupun Priyadarshana, known as Yupun Abeykoon, also referred to as Yupun Priyadarshana (born 31 December 1994), is a Sri Lankan track and field athlete and a national record holder in men's 100m, men's 200m and in men's indoor 60m.

Abeykoon also became the first Sri Lankan to obtain direct qualification for the 100m event at the Olympics, 25 years after Chintaka de Zoysa's direct qualification at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Abeykoon also became the first South Asian sprinter in 32 years to qualify for the men's 100m event at the Olympics.

Abeykoon began pursuing his athletics career in 2004 when his teachers picked him at a school meet.

He later switched to the St. Joseph Vaz College, Wennepuwa at the age of 16 with the recommendation of his personal coach.

Abeykoon also follows MotoGP.

Prior to his living in Italy, his father had worked in a holiday villa in Italy for some time.

Abeykoon represented Sri Lanka at the 2013 South Asian Junior Athletics Championships which was held in Ranchi and finished fourth in the men's triple jump competition.

He later switched from triple jump to sprint events due to the influence of his coaches.

He currently resides in Italy as he went on a scholarship to Italy in 2015.

He is also attached to the Electronic and Mechanical Engineering Regiment of the Sri Lanka Army and represents Army Sports Club.

He is currently regarded as the fastest Sri Lankan man as well as fastest South Asian man in men's 100m and 200m disciplines.

On 3 July 2022, he became the first South Asian to break the 10-Second barrier for the men's 100 meters event at the Resisprint International competition, with a timing of 9.96 seconds, in La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland.

Abeykoon is also the first and only Sri Lankan to have competed at the Diamond League.

In April 2022, he set the new Asian record in the men's 150m by clocking 15.16 seconds.

On 22 May 2022 at a meeting held at the Stadio Zecchini, Grosseto in Italy he won the men's 200 meters event setting a new national record of 20.37 seconds.

On 25 May 2022 at an event held at the Paul-Greifzu-Stadion, Dessau in Germany he won the men's 100 meters setting a new national record of 10.06 seconds.

Abeykoon was born in Negombo, Western Province near Pannala.

He pursued his primary education at the Pannala National School, where he also pursued his interest in track and field events.

He began his interest in athletics after being inspired from veteran Olympic medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe.

Abeykoon competed at the 2015 Military World Games representing Sri Lanka and took bronze medal in men's 4 × 100 m relay event.

He underwent training at Fiammegialle Sports Centre in Italy when he was on his scholarship in Italy.

Abeykoon began training with former Italian 400m runner and Olympian Claudio Licciardello during his stay in Italy.

He surpassed his own national indoor record of 6.78 seconds which he achieved in 2017.

On 13 May 2021, he renewed his own personal as well as the national record for men's 100m event by clocking at 10.15 seconds which he set during the Meeting di Savona Championship in Italy.

In the same month, he bettered his own personal record in the men's 100m event by clocking at 10.09 seconds which he achieved in the 100m final at the Anhalt 2021 competition which was held in Dessau, Germany.

In June 2021, he skipped the World Athletic Continental Madrid Meet in Spain despite it being one of the Olympic qualifying competitions.

As of June 2021, Abeykoon reached his career-best world ranking of 48 following a fourth-place finish in the men's 100 event at the Golden Gala as part of the 2021 Diamond League Meet at Florence (Florence Diamond League).

He also became the first Sri Lankan to compete at the Diamond League.

Abeykoon also represented Sri Lanka at the 2019 South Asian Games and claimed gold medal in the men's 4 × 100 m relay event.

He was also part of the team consisting of Chanuka Sandeepa, Himasha Eashan and Vinoj Suranjaya which set new national and South Asian Games record in men's 4 × 100 m relay event during the 2019 South Asian Games.

On 8 September 2020, Abeykoon shattered the South Asian record as well as national record held by Himasha Eashan in men's 100m event with a timing of 10.16 seconds after winning an athletic competition which was held in Dessau, Germany.

He surpassed the previous best of 10.22 held by compatriot Himasha Eashan.

Abeykoon earned the nickname "South Asia's fastest man" after breaking the South Asian record in the men's 100m event.

On 26 September 2020, Abeykoon claimed a bronze medal in the men's 100m event with a timing of 10.24 seconds at the Gala dei Castelli as a part of the World Athletics Bronze Level Series Meet which was held in Switzerland.

His bronze medal achievement during the 2020 Gala dei Castelli made him the first Sri Lankan sprinter after the 1990s to be placed among the top three in a running event when running alongside top European and African sprinters.

In January 2021, Abeykoon renewed his own personal and national Sri Lanka 60m indoor record with a timing of 6.59 seconds at the Italian indoor championship.

In the same month Abeykoon also qualified to represent Sri Lanka at the 2020 Summer Olympics, which was also his maiden Olympic appearance, and competed in the men's 100m event.

He was also the first and only Sri Lankan to achieve direct qualification standards for the 2020 Summer Olympics.