Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala

Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala, born in Colombo on 3 September 1979, is a Sri Lankan rock climber and mountaineer who is also a women's rights activist. She completed basic and advanced mountaineering courses at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in 2003 and 2004. Teaming up with Johann Peries from 2011, she climbed Adam's Peak, Island Peak and Kilimanjaro, and on 21 May 2016 she reached the summit of Mount Everest at 5:03 AM, becoming the first Sri Lankan to do so. The achievement led to her appointment as Goodwill Ambassador for Women's Rights by the Sri Lankan Ministry of Women's Affairs from 2016 to 2019, a place on the BBC list of 100 inspiring women in 2017, and the International Olympic Committee Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champions Award for Asia in 2023.