Kaushalya Madushani Explained

Fullname:Kawshalya Madushani Edirippulilage
Birth Date:13 December 1995
Death Place:Dummalasuriya, Sri Lanka
Education:Kuliyapitiya Central College
Sport:Athletics
Event:400 m hurdles, 4 × 400 metres relay
Club:Sri Lankan Army
Coach:Nalinda Senarath

Kaushalya Madushani (Sinhala; Sinhalese: කෞෂල්‍යා මධුෂානි; 13 December 1995 – 24 April 2022), also known as Kawshalya Madushani Edirippulilage or Kaushalya Madhushani,[1] was a Sri Lankan track and field athlete who mainly competed in the hurdles event.[2] She was a five-time national champion in the women's 400m hurdles (2016, 2017, 2019, 2021 and 2022).[3] She was the defending national champion in women's 400m hurdles prior to her death when she defended her title successfully in 2022. She was attached to the Sri Lankan Army.[4]

Career

During the 2014 Asian Junior Athletics Championships, she claimed a silver medal in the women's 400m hurdles event which was held in Taipei.[5] She clinched gold medal in the women's 400m hurdles event during the 2016 National Athletics Championships which was also her first national title and was subsequently selected as the best hurdler in the competition. She also claimed gold in the women's 400m hurdles during the 2016 National Sports Festival.[6] [7]

She made her South Asian Games debut representing Sri Lanka in 2016.[8] She went on to claim her first South Asian Games medal in her maiden South Asian Games appearance when she won a bronze medal in the women's 400m hurdles. She claimed her second national title at the 2017 National Athletics Championships which she successfully defended.

She also represented Sri Lanka at the 2019 South Asian Games and claimed two medals in the multi-sport event including a gold in the women's 4 × 400 m relay team event (along with Omaya Udayangani, Gayanthika Abeyratne & Dilshi Kumarasinghe) and a silver in the women's 400m hurdles.[9] She achieved her personal best of 58.16 seconds in 2019. She achieved her third national title in women's 400m hurdles at the 2019 National Athletics Championships. She won the national title for the fourth time in women's 400m hurdles during the 2021 National Athletics Championships.

In April 2022, she again emerged as the winner in the women's 400m hurdles category at the 100th National Athletics Championships with a timing of 58.73 seconds and it also marked her fifth national title.[10]

On 23 April 2022, one day before her death, she was conferred with the Glucolin Challenge Trophy for best hurdler in recognition of her notable performances at the 2022 National Athletics Championship.

Personal life

Kaushalya Madushani was born on 13 December 1995.[7] She was a student athlete at Kuliyapitiya Central College, and she was coached by Nalinda Senarath.[7] She served as a lance corporal in the Sri Lankan Army.[11]

On 24 April 2022, Madushani was found dead at the age of 26 at her residence in Dummalasuriya after an awards ceremony.[12] [13] [14] Kuliyapitiya Police reported that she was found hanging inside her home.[15]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Kawshalya Madushani Profile World Athletics . 24 April 2022 . worldathletics.org.
  2. Web site: Kaushalya Madhushani Profile World Athletics . 24 April 2022 . www.worldathletics.org.
  3. Web site: Fernando . Reemus . . Kaushalya found dead a day after winning Best Hurdler title . 25 April 2022 . 25 April 2022 . en-US.
  4. Web site: Sri Lanka : Sri Lanka women's 400m hurdles champion commits suicide . 25 April 2022 . www.colombopage.com.
  5. Web site: Sri Lankan athlete Kaushalya Madushani dies by suicide . 24 April 2022 . www.adaderana.lk . en.
  6. Web site: Kaushalya Madhushani . 24 April 2022 . Sri Lanka Athletics News & information Portal Fixtures Results . en-US.
  7. Web site: Fernando . Lahiru . Tragic end to champion athlete's life . 25 April 2022 . 25 April 2022 . Daily News . en.
  8. News: Kaluarachchi . Anjana . 24 January 2015 . 69 athletes and 20 officials have been included in the Sri Lankan contingent for the South Asian Games . . Colombo, Sri Lanka . 24 April 2022.
  9. Web site: 7 December 2019 . South Asian Games: Sri Lanka secures 15 gold medals in athletics after 28 years . 24 April 2022 . Sri Lanka News - Newsfirst . en.
  10. Web site: 10 April 2022 . WATCH - Kaushalya Madushani wins the Women's 400m Hurdles National title . ThePapare.com . 24 April 2022 . en-US.
  11. News: Rahaman . T. B. . Questions raised over hurdler's mysterious death . 1 May 2022 . . Sri Lanka . 30 April 2022 . en.
  12. Web site: 24 April 2022 . SL women's 400m hurdles champion dies by suicide, won championship yesterday . 24 April 2022 . NewsWire . en-US.
  13. Web site: Weerasinghe . Damith . 24 April 2022 . 400M Hurdles Champion Kaushalya Madhushani passes away . 24 April 2022 . ThePapare.com . en-US.
  14. News: Susil . Premalal . . Sudden death of champion athlete Madushani shocks Sri Lanka athletics . 25 April 2022 . 25 April 2022 . English.
  15. News: Sri Lanka women's 400m hurdles champion found dead at home . . Sri Lanka . 24 April 2022 . English . 24 April 2022 . Twenty five year old Kaushalya Madushani, who won several medals representing Sri Lanka in the women's 400m hurdles, was found dead after she allegedly committed suicide at her home in Dummalasuriya, Police said. ... She was found hanging inside her house..