COLOMBO Sri Lanka has included controversial world 200 meter silver medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe in their squad for the Asian Games in Bangkok, the state-owned daily News reported on Tuesday. Jayasinghe, who was recently cleared of drug charges by the International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF), qualified for next month's games after she set a national record clocking 11.27 seconds in the 100 meter sprint at the national championships l She clocked 23.28 seconds to win the women's 200 meter event.

Jayasinghe was temporarily suspended from all international events after she failed a random drug test conducted by the IAAF in April this year. The local athletics body appointed a three-member Disciplinary Committee to look into the charges. It concluded that the Amateur Athletics Association of Sri Lanka had failed to prove that Jayasinghe had taken drugs. Jayasinghe rose to fame when she became the first Sri Lankan in 49 years to win a medal at an international championship.

She clocked 22.39 seconds in the 200 meter event in Athens at the world championships, beating favorite Merlene Ottey. In September, she declined to participate at the Commonwealth Games in Malaysia because of lack of training and poor timing. (Reuter)