Prasanna Amarasekara had a clean record until knowingly or unknowingly he treaded on a wrong path to be tangled in a scam allegedly masterminded by a former national runner. In Amarasekara’s own words, he had not even been to a police station before in his life except once when he had lost his national identity card. For Amarasekara who had otherwise maintained a good reputation, the past several months had been a period of turbulence.

Sportstar interviewed Amarasekara as he prepares to defend his 400 meter title in what would be his international comeback at the Asian Athletics Championship in China.

"Past several months had been a trauma. I have lost lot of friends. The friends on the athletic field who ate and drank with me before are turning their backs. I had only my mother and the parents of my fiancée by my side when I was in need. Thanks to their support I was able to make up my mind and comeback," Amarasekara told Sportstar after a training session at the Sugathadasa Stadium last week.

Amarasekara produced a time of 47.17 seconds in the 400 meter final when he competed after a lapse in the recently held National Athletics Championship. His performance earned him a place in the Asian Championship team. Then last week, the Ministry of Sports granted permission for Amarasekara’s inclusion in the national team.

"I have put back the troublesome past and now I am looking forward to a clean future. I know that I can’t achieve the timing I was doing then in a fortnight. It takes time for you to improve your timing. But I will do my best to win a medal at the Championship," Amarasekara hoped.

He said that the unfortunate incidents had overshadowed the good work he had done during the past and now he has to work hard to reach where he was while also battling to meet day today expenses without a proper income.

In an otherwise clean career, Amarasekara has won the country a massive haul of over 30 medals at the Asian Athletics circuit. The defending champion of the 400 meters of the Asian Athletics Championship, Amarasekara has won four golds and three silvers in different editions of that meet. His contribution at Asian Games is two bronzes.

A silver medal won in the 400 meters of the Asian Indoor Games is the only medal Sri Lanka has won in that event to date. At Asian Grand Prix he has five golds, eleven silvers and three bronzes.

He was also the champion in the South Asian Games in his pet event in 2004 and 2006. He has won a total of two golds and two silvers at the SA Games while winning two golds in the South Asian Athletics Championship in India in 2008.

Amarasekara also won Sri Lanka Army its only 400 meter medal, a bronze, at the World Military Games.

At a time when Sri Lankan athletes have failed to achieve qualifying standards to represent the country at IAAF world championships it should be noted that Amarasekara participated in three such championships on merit of his performances in 2001 (Edmonton), 2003 (Paris) and 2005 (Finland). He has also represented the country in two Commonwealth Games and represented Asia in one World Championship. He also captained Sri Lanka teams for foreign championships and was once ranked 25th in the world in 400 meters when he clocked his personal best of 45.47 seconds in 2005.