Carrying Sri Lanka’s lion flag at the opening ceremony will be veteran marathon runner Anuradha Indrajith Cooray. The London-based Sri Lankan long distance runner will be competing in his third Olympic Games, having participated in Athens 2004 and London 2012 Games.
“It is a great honor and important milestone in my career as an athlete. I am thankful to the authorities for giving me my deserving place. I will make every effort to live up to expectations,” the 38-year-old former South Asian Games gold medalist said.
“I have been training hard ever since I gained qualifying standers for Rio Olympics last year. My target is to go for a timing of two hours and 12 to 13 minutes. If I could make it, I feel I could finish within the first ten. But it all depends on how the external conditions such as weather will be. It happened at last year’s World Championships as unfavorable London weather increased the timings of all 100 odd marathon runners,” he said.
Swimmers Matthew Abeysinghe and Kimiko Raheem have been training hard at a nearby training pool under the watchful eyes of veteran Manoj Abeysinghe who has already proved his class with his Killer Whales Academy. “I have been training hard, and isready for the challenge ahead. It is a tough task but I will try my best to improve on my Sri Lanka record set last month,” the seven-time gold medalist at the last South Asian Games said.
The biggest challenge that the Lankan Olympians are facing is adjusting to the time difference as Rio is eight and a half hours behind Sri Lanka time. Five-time gold medalist at 2016 South Asian Games Raheem feels it the most as she has been training in Thailand, which is ten hours ahead of Rio time. Nevertheless, Raheem has managed her daily schedule to Rio time ever since her return to Colombo after a year-long IOC solidarity scholarship training in Phuket.
All nine members of the Sri Lanka contingent for Rio 2016 Games have now arrived in Brazil and are housed at the Olympic Village which gives accommodation to over 10,000 athletes and coaches from all over the world. The first Lankan to be seen in action at Rio 2016 Olympics will be 17-year-old Kimiko, the youngest of the three Raheem sisters – all medalists at South Asian Games. She will be competing in her pet event next Monday (8).
The Olympic torch arrived in Rio last evening by boat after a three-month tour of Brazilian cities. Mayor of Rio de Janeiro, EduadoPaes carried the Olympic torch on its first few laps through the city centre.
