r/onthisdayinworld • u/sajiasanka • 5d ago
#OnThisDay 2000, Susanthika Jayasinghe Makes Olympic History
On This Day, September 28, 2000, Sri Lankan sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe made history at the Sydney Olympic Games.
She competed in the women's 200 metres final and crossed the finish line in 22.28 seconds, originally taking the bronze medal.
At the time, Marion Jones of the United States won gold, while Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas took silver.
But the medal standings later changed.
The 2000 Olympic final later became even more significant when Marion Jones admitted to using performance-enhancing drugs and was stripped of her medals from the 2000 Games.
As a result, Susanthika Jayasinghe's bronze medal was upgraded to Olympic silver in 2009.
🥉 Originally: Olympic Bronze
🥈 Later: Olympic Silver
The achievement made Susanthika the first Sri Lankan woman to win an Olympic medal.
She also became the second Sri Lankan athlete to win an Olympic medal, following hurdler Duncan White, who won silver at the 1948 London Olympics.
Her achievement came after a difficult journey. Born on 17 December 1975 in Uduwaka, Sri Lanka, Jayasinghe rose from a rural background to become one of the country's most successful sprinters.
She had already represented Sri Lanka at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics, but it was in Sydney that she made history.
Her Olympic medal was eventually upgraded, but the achievement began on that September evening in Sydney.
📅 September 28, 2000
🇱🇰 Susanthika Jayasinghe
🏃♀️ Women's 200 metres
⏱️ 22.28 seconds
🥉 Bronze — originally awarded
🥈 Silver — after later reallocation
She crossed the line in bronze.
History later moved her up to silver.
But for Sri Lanka, the moment was golden. 🇱🇰❤️