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Jayasinghe puts troubles behind her with landmark Sri Lankan medal

From Sports Illustrated • SI Images: Photos from the Games • Tim Layden: Jones' quest just beginning • Richard Hoffer: U.S. always faces long odds in boxing competition • Alex Wolff: Dutch have a great time while winning • Michael Farber: Russian volleyball coach the Bob Knight of Volga • E.M. Swift: Racewalkers should be lifted from program • Brian Cazeneuve: 'Fighting' Lopez clan shares the joy of gold • Medal Picks: SI's Predictions More Features • Day at a Glance: Diving into history • Wake-up Call: Tracking the day in sports • Viewers' Guide: Sept. 28 • Quiz: Today's Tester Athletes • Just Checking In: U.S. baseball assistant Ray Tanner • Just Checking In: U.S. soccer player Brian Dunseth Multimedia • Photo Gallery: Women's soccer -- Joy and pain • Photo Gallery: Shots of the Day • Multimedia Central: Photo Galleries, Video and More

SYDNEY, Sept 28 (AFP) - Susanthika Jayasinghe was delighted with her bronze medal in the final of the Olympic women's 200m - the first ever medal for a Sri Lankan woman and only the second for her country.

Jayasinghe followed the achievement of Duncan White, who won a silver in the 400m hurdles during the 1948 Games in London, and the significance of that win was not lost on her.

"I am very happy and very proud to have won for my country tonight. It was our first medal in 52 years," she said.

"I am so very, very happy. I am so pleased and excited. I just try to focus on my lane and I ran as fast as I could."

Finishing behind American winner Marion Jones and second-placed Pauline Davis-Thompson of the Bahamas, Jayasinghe added the bronze to the silver she won in the 1997 world championships.

The Sri Lankan sprinter left Sri Lanka early last year after accusing a top official in the sports ministry of sexual harassment.

Her career has also been dogged by doping controversy. She was banned in April 1998 after testing positive for the banned steroid nandrolone but cleared four months later by a Sri Lankan appeals panel.

The International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) was unhappy with that ruling but announced in October last year that it would be taking no further action in regard to the case.

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