Heat wilts Indrajith Cooray in Beijing
Anuradha Indrajith Cooray (extreme left on top pic) competing at the 15th IAAF World Championship
Even as predicted favourites wilted in Beijing’s scorching heat and humidity as Sri Lanka’s Anuradha Indrajith Cooray battled tough conditions to finish among the best 30 marathon runners on the opening day of the 15th World Athletics Championships at th Bird’s Nest.
The London-based Cooray clocked 2 hours 25 minutes and 04 seconds to grab 29th position in yesterday’s race.This was by no means satisfactory for the runner who recorded a personal and seasonal best of 2 hours 13 minutes and 47 seconds just four months ago at the London Marathon. But the Beijing heat took its toll on everyone. The temperature was around 31 degrees centigrade.
“I am happy that I could finish the race,” a disappointed Cooray said. “It was awfully hot out there, forcing many leading athletes to pull out halfway. It was so tough that I, too, wanted to drop out but I thought I must finish it off for my country.” He has lived in the cooler climes of London since 2005.
Yesterday’s winner was 19-year-old Ghirmay Ghebreslassie of Eritrea. In two hours 12 minutes and 27 seconds, he pushed defending and Olympic champion Stephan Kiprotich of Uganda to sixth position, winning Eritrea’s first gold medal. Ghebreslassie became the youngest ever to win a World Championships gold in road running.
Kiprotich clocked 2 hours 14 minutes and 43 seconds. Yemane Tsegay of Ethiopia finished second while Munyo Solomon Mutai of Uganda was third. The favoured Kenyans struggled, not even making it into the top 20 while 25 runners did not finish the race, an indication of grueling conditions.
Cooray was in the large pack within the first ten kilometres, rubbing shoulders with Dennis Kimeto, Wilson Kipsang, Lelisa Desisa and Kiprotich who were the expected winners. But he went out of contention before the halfway mark, shattering his hopes of setting a new national benchmark.
“This was my target and I was in perfect shape to achieve it but, unfortunately, conditions didn’t allow that,” he said. With the Olympics less than a year ahead, Cooray will look to keep the momentum and will compete at the Frankfurt Marathon in nine weeks.
“I want to keep the momentum going till the Rio Olympics,” he explained. “Even though it’s too close to race in nine weeks, I will compete in Frankfurt to improve my timing.”
It will be his third Olympics next year.
His performance yesterday may have given his detractors, including country’s National Olympic Committee officials, a chance to shoot back at the 37-year-old runner who launched a scathing attack on country’s sporting hierarchy for consistently snubbing him for financial support.
“This is why I wanted to finish the race no matter how tough it was. I can bear leg pains but even my lower arms started to hurt as the race progressed. I decided to run with the pain,” he added. Cooray has got hardly any financial support from his country despite consistent performances.