For her excellence as the fastest South Asian Marathoner and Champion in Long Distance
Running.
Hiruni Wijerathna is Awarded the Outstanding Performance by a Young Professional for being South Asia’s fastest female marathoner, a 29-year-old Sri Lankan-American Champion, a long-distance running athlete who has kept the Lion Flag flying high victoriously before the
world, many times.
Born in Kirulapone, Sri Lanka, Hiruni attended St. Bridget’s Convent, where she began her journey as an athlete. Even though her athletic career blossomed in the U.S, her gleaming desire was to compete as a Sri Lankan athlete. To represent the Sri Lankan Sports Selection
Committee, she ran her first Marathon in which she shattered the previous national records. Today, she is South Asia’s Fastest Female Marathoner. She is also the first Sri Lankan to qualify for the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Athletic Championship.
Marathoner Hiruni Wijayaratne clocked 2 hours, 43 minutes, and 31 seconds in the Eugene Marathon when she crossed the finish line as the first female and 11th overall in the 2017 edition of the Marathon. Doing so, Hiruni Achieved the qualification standards for the International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) World Championship Marathon. She was the first and only female athlete to qualify for the world championship in 2019 from Sri Lanka. Hiruni, who lives in the USA, moved after that, spending the first nine years of her life in Sri Lanka. She has been running Marathons for several years and is now the fastest female marathoner in Sri Lanka and South Asia. She holds both these records with the best timing.
Hiruni Wijayaratne, who currently takes credit for multiple National records in the long-distance and marathon forms of running, road, and track, is a professional athlete in the USA. However, she fully represents Sri Lanka in all professional meets, and in such an event, Wijerathna has achieved another milestone in her career.
Although no competition or track records are kept in road Running competitions, the new timings recorded by Hiruni will renew her best timings and challenge a track record that has stood for 16 years.
Hiruni is a fierce competitor. She holds 10 National Records for Sri Lanka, a marathon personal best of 2:36, and a passion for chasing her goals and helping others do the same. It doesn’t stop there, Hiruni brings her game to the office too, where she has taken over as the Business Development and Sales Lead, but she does so much more than that.
Hiruni is also one of the best world-class coaches and enjoys answering questions and sharing her experience as both coach and athlete to inspire others to achieve their dreams.
Sri Lanka Foundation would like to Thank and Acknowledge Hiruni Wijerathna for being the most decorated Sri Lankan distance athlete for holding the Sri Lankan National Records on road and track events.
