Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe welcomed Jayanthi Kuru-Utumpala, the first Sri Lankan to reach the summit of Mt. Everest, and her team-mate Johann Peiris, at the Katunayake Bandaranaike International Airport this morning.

Kuru-Utumpala reached the summit of the world's highest peak on May 21. Peiris reached within 300m of the summit but had to return.

The duo made this attempt after weeks of training in the Himalayas with the International Mountain Guides, the mountaineering company with 30 years of experience.