Watch: Sri Lanka’s Abeykoon becomes first South Asian to sprint 100m in less than 10 seconds

Abeykoon became the first South Asian to break the 10-second barrier.

Yupun Abeykoon becomes the first athlete from South Asia to break the 10 second barrier in the 100m. (Twitter)

Sri Lankan sprinter Yupun Abeykoon scripted a new record after becoming the first South Asian to run 100m in less than 10 seconds when he competed at the Resisprint International ( a World Athletics Continental Tour Challenger meeting) in Switzerland on Sunday.

Abeykoon, who represented Sri Lanka in the 2021 Olympics, finished the 100m race in just 9.96 seconds.

🇱🇰 Sri Lanka National Record 🇱🇰

ICYMI, Yupun Abeykoon became the first person from South Asia in history to go sub-10 in the 100m 🔥

He clocked 9.96 (1.6) at La Chaux de Fonds. pic.twitter.com/7aRhUamOVI

— AW (@AthleticsWeekly) July 3, 2022

He broke his own record of 10.06 seconds which was created earlier this year at the International Athletics meet in Germany.

As a result of Abeykoon’s effort, Sri Lanka became the 167th member of the sub-10 club.

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It also made the island nation – the 32nd country with a sub-10 sprinter.

Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa congratulated the athlete.

Congratulations to Yupun Abeykoon for becoming the 1st South Asian athlete to run 100m under 10 sec at Résisprint International 2022 in La Chaux-de-Fonds, #Switzerland. pic.twitter.com/X16B44uZQ6

— Gotabaya Rajapaksa (@GotabayaR) July 3, 2022

Former Sri Lanka opener Sanath Jayasuriya extended his wishes on social media and wrote: “Congratulations to young Yupun Abeykoon for establishing a new South Asian record in the 100 meters.”

Congratulations to young Yupun Abeykoon for establishing a new South Asian record in the 100 meters.

Sri Lanka can! pic.twitter.com/VXklN2vphE

— Sanath Jayasuriya (@Sanath07) July 3, 2022

Elsewhere, Cuba’s Reynier Mena became the first man from his country to break the 20 seconds barrier in 200m sprint and won at the same event in a stunning 19.63 seconds.

25-year-old Mena also broke 10 seconds over 100m for the first time earlier in the afternoon, clocking a PB of 9.99 to finish second to Sri Lanka’s Yupun Abeykoon, who won in a PB of 9.96. Zeze was third in that race in 9.99, also a PB.