John De Saram

John De Saram came from a notable Sri Lankan family and was educated at the prestigious Royal College, Colombo, where he was taught, among other things, the importance of proficiency in amateur sport for a man of his background. He discovered that his talents in this regard lay in sprint distance running, and he was selected to represent his country at the 1948 London Olympics. There, he was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 200 metres and round one of the 400 metres. He was also slated to compete in the 100 metres, but he did not start. The following year, he entered the University of Ceylon to pursue a law degree, but continued to train for the 1950 British Empire Games. At that tournament, he finished fourth in the 4×110 yards relay (with Duncan White and the non-Olympians Oscar Wijeyasinghe and Sumana Navaratnam) as well as in the 4×440 yards relay (with White and the non-Olympians Wijeyasinghe and A. Somapala) and was eliminated in the heats of the 220 yards.

After graduating with a Bachelor of Laws, De Saram had an extensive career with the United Nations Office of Legal Affairs and the International Law Commission. From 1998 through 2002, he served as the Sri Lankan ambassador to the United Nations. He later moved to private practice upon retirement.

Personal Bests: 200 – unknown; 400 – unknown.