Marathoner Anuradha Indrajith Cooray yesterday urged Sri Lanka authorities to support him financially ahead of the Moscow World Athletics Championships in August after he clocked the Olympic qualifying time yet again at the London Marathon.
Cooray, 35, who is the only athlete in recent years to meet the Olympic qualifying standard clocked 2 hours 17 minutes and 53 seconds at yesterday’s prestigious London Marathon to reconfirm his place at the Moscow meet.
“If you look at the recent history, I am the only Sri Lankan athlete to run the Olympic qualifying time, leave along doing it twice in 12 months. Yet when I asked for 250 Pounds per month from the sports ministry for my training here they refused it.
“I am a professional athlete who worked eight hours every day and use my spare time for training.
“All I need is a few Pounds to make sure that my family is not starving in my absence,” Cooray who works at Greggs, a pastry shop in Buckinghamshire said soon after he finished the race.
Speaking to Ceylon Today over the phone, Cooray said that he has been offered a training stint with the British runners in Kenya ahead of the World Championship by his club but he might have to give up the opportunity if Sri Lanka cannot support him financially.
Cooray is trained by Englishman Nick Taylor and represents Vale of Aylesbury Athletic Club in Buckinghamshire.
“I have a family here and if I do not work, they will be starving,” he said.
Cooray has however met Prema Pinnewale, the athletics secretary on Saturday ahead of the meet and aired his grievances.
“I met him yesterday to discuss my plans and what I need from Sri Lanka. He (Pinnewale) was optimistic of convincing the sports ministry to get my requirement”, he said.
Cooray ran at the London Olympics last summer under torrid conditions clocking 2 hours 20 minutes and 43 seconds which he had improved dramatically yesterday.
“To finish 14th here is a great feeling. I clocked 1 hour 6 minutes and 40 seconds in the first half of the race which is pretty fast given my average timing but slowed down a bit in the second half,” he said about his performance yesterday.
Ethiopian Tsegeye Kebede took victory in the Men’s Elite in 2:06:03. Kenyan Emmanuel Mutai came through second thirty seconds after with Kebede’s fellow Ethiopian Ayele Abshero in third.
