Paris Olympics: Sri Lanka’s Aruna Darshana disqualified in semi-final

Sri Lankan sprinter Aruna Darshana finished in 5th place in the 2nd Semi-Final of the Men’s 400m event at the Paris Olympics, however was later disqualified.

Darshana had finished the race with a time of 44.75 seconds, setting a new personal best, however, he was disqualified later for a lane infringement.

He took part in the second semi-final of the event, which commenced at 11:12 p.m. (IST) on Tuesday (6).

Athletes from Argentina, South Africa, Italy, Zambia, United States, Botswana and Grenada had raced in the semi-final 02 alongside Aruna Darshana.

The first two athletes in each semi-final heat and next 2 fastest athletes in overall semi-finals had advanced to the Final of the event, according to the International Olympic Committee.

The 25-year-old qualified for the semifinals on Sunday (04), after finishing third in the Heat race. Darshana finished 3rd in the Men’s 400m Heat 5 with a timing of 44.99 seconds, which is his personal best.

The Sri Lankan sprinter recently showcased his exceptional speed and skill on the track achieving an impressive first-place finish in the Men’s 400m event at the 2nd Belt and Road Invitational Athletics Championship held in China.

He has been tipped by many to follow in the footsteps of former Sri Lankan athlete Sugath Thilakaratne. Darshana won the men’s 400m event during the 2018 National Athletics Championships by clocking a time of 46.16 seconds.