Sprint events at the Olympics are usually dominated by countries from the western hemisphere. As of 2012, Susanthika Jayasinghe is the first and only Asian to win an Olympic medal in any of 100 m, 200 m or 400 m sprint events. What country did she represent?
Susanthika Jayasinghe Susanthika Jayasinghe Deshabandu Susanthika Jayasinghe (; Tamil: சுசந்திகா ஜயசிங்ஹ) (born December 17, 1975) is a Sri Lankan sprint athlete specializing in the 100 and 200 metres. She won the Olympic silver medal for the 200m event in the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, the second Sri Lankan to win an Olympic medal and the first and only Asian to win an Olympic or world championship medal in a sprint event. She also won two gold medals at the 2007 Asian Athletics Championships and a bronze medal at the 2007 IAAF World Championships. She is known as the Asian Black Mare.
Susanthika Jayasinghe the 2007 IAAF World Championships. It was her first World Championship medal in 10 years. On 13 August 2007 she was ranked by the IAAF as 18th in the world for the 100 m sprint and 20th in the world for the 200 m sprint. On February 5, 2009, Jayasinghe announced her retirement from sports in order to focus on becoming a mother. On March 31, 2009, she gave birth to a baby boy. In November 2010 she announced her plan to return to competition. Jayasinghe contested the 2010 general election from the Kegalle district from the United People's Freedom