INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A top Sri Lankan athlete who set national records in the pole vault has been working as a housemaid in Dubai to help support her family at
made it difficult for her to look after her mother, who requires long-term care.It has been more than a year since she swapped crossbars and
came to Dubai to find a solution for my family
channel profiled her, causing outrage with people criticising the authorities for not doing enough to retain sporting talent.Soon after, The
in the emirate.He accompanied Perera to a meeting with sports authorities in Dubai on Wednesday to explore options so she could focus on
The details are being worked out, he said.Perera is undefeated since 2018, with a pole vault national record of 3.71 metres set last year
According to World Athletics, the regional record so far stands at 4.72 metres, set by Li Ling from China in 2019.As a teenager, gymnastics
This opened up the chance to train in army facilities equipped for the pole vault and she began breaking records soon after.However, when
and the nation defaulted on external debt for the first time since independence in 1948.This prompted more than 311,000 people to leave in
search of jobs, mainly to Gulf nations, as per government employment bureau numbers last year.Similar numbers are expected to leave to find
passion, Perera said she is grateful to her current employers who give her time off to use the gym, pool facilities and take her to the
