BERLIN, Germany, July 22, 2025 (ePRESS) – Sri Lanka’s Rasara Wijesooriya delivered a breathtaking performance at the World University Games in Berlin, smashing her own national record in the women’s 10,000 metres and firmly stamping her name among Asia’s top long-distance runners.
The 22-year-old powerhouse from the University of Kelaniya clocked an extraordinary 32 minutes and 52.20 seconds, slicing nearly 30 seconds off her previous national record of 33:21.62. With this sensational run, Rasara not only rewrote Sri Lanka’s athletics history but also broke through a psychological barrier that had stood for over a decade — running under 33 minutes in the 10,000m.
From the starter’s gun to the final lap, Rasara ran like a woman on a mission. Her pace was relentless. Her rhythm, flawless. She kept pushing forward with laser focus and fierce determination, overtaking seasoned international athletes and finishing among the top eight in the world — a feat no Sri Lankan woman has achieved in recent memory.
Her training, often in humble conditions, has now borne fruit on one of the grandest stages for student-athletes — the FISU World University Games, where only the world’s elite are invited to compete.
