‘My (Olympic) dreams are not shattered, they are simply delayed’
Like most athletes around the world, Sri Lanka’s US-based star Hiruni Wijayaratne has welcomed the decision to postpone the Tokyo Olympics by one year because of the coronavirus pandemic.
She joined 23-time Olympic gold medallist Michael Phelps who noted his support for the postponement of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday night.
The US-based marathoner Hiruni Wijayaratne after winning Sri Lanka's first South Asian Games gold medal in Kathmandu, Nepal in 2019.
“I was shocked that they hadn’t cancelled before this,” Phelps told NBC Sports’ Tim Layden. “I couldn’t see a way for it to all work out. We’ve had issues in the past, the air quality in Beijing, and the Zika virus in Rio, but this seemed so much bigger. It didn’t seem like something that could be managed or controlled. I just didn’t see the dots getting connected.”
The 2020 Tokyo Games were scheduled for July 24-August 9, but after telephone discussions between International Olympic Committee (IOC) Thomas Bach and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, a historic joint decision was taken Tuesday for the first postponement of an Olympics in peacetime.
“I was keen to hear the decision from the IOC. Many athletes globally wanted a decision, as any decision is better than living in uncertainty,” Wijayaratne stated in a message to the Sunday Times.
“For me this year was BIG. The past four years I’ve woken up each day with the dream of qualifying for the Olympic Games. I had three competitions in March, April and May all aimed to get the necessary qualification. Sadly, all those events were cancelled. I understand it’s for the best for all global citizens but it is still a tough reality,” said Wijayaratne who won a silver at the Dusseldorf Marathon last year clocking a Sri Lanka and South Asian record of 2:34.10.
Though Phelps supported the IOC’s decision, he expressed concern over the mental health of Olympic athletes.
“I really, really hope we don’t see an increase in athlete suicide rates because of this. Because the mental health component is by far the biggest thing here,” said swimming great Phelps. “This postponement is uncharted waters. We’ve never seen this before. It was the right decision, but it breaks my heart for the athletes.”
Wijayaratne, however, looked at the enforced break positively, taking it literally in her stride.
“Even with the cancelled competitions I was still training at a high level in hopes for being prepared for any opportunity when it came. Then this week the IOC postponed the Olympics. Since then I have begun to slowly back off my intense training. I don’t want to get an injury or burn out. So it’s best now to simply maintain fitness until the new qualification is announced,” said the 29-year-old long distance champion athlete who holds multiple Sri Lankan records.
Athletes who had already qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics before they were postponed will keep their places when the showpiece takes place in 2021.
Around 57 per cent of the 11,000 scheduled participants for Tokyo had already made sure of taking part before the Games was pushed back to 2021 due to the coronavirus on Tuesday.
The IOC and 32 international sports federations held a teleconference on Thursday where it was decided to respect the qualification process.
“One of the main subjects was to know when and how to organise the qualifications. In some federations, many sportsmen and sportswomen are not qualified and it takes at least three months for the Olympic Games to organise them,” AFP reported quoting a source.
“The US is greatly impacted by COVID-19. It now has the highest global total of positive cases. Fortunately I live in an area without many people. So I can still run outside for a bit of time without high risk. I work a full-time job from home now as all offices are closed. I spend most of my day completing my job tasks,” said the Colorado-based Sri Lankan in reply to a query as to how she spends her time these days being a professional athlete.
Sri Lanka’s lone representative at the 17th IAAF World Athletic Championship held in Doha in September where she was among 23 of the 68 starters who failed to finish the first ever midnight marathon run in brutal heat and humidity, Wijayaratne redeemed her prestige by winning a historic marathon gold at the 13th South Asian Games (SAG) in Kathmandu in December.
Asked whether she has a realistic chance of qualifying for the Olympics, Wijayaratne said: “I still believe it’s possible for me to qualify for the 2021 Games. I actually think this postponement is a blessing for me as it now gives me more time to be prepared. I was very ill following SAG in Nepal with a severe lung infection. I spent several days in the hospital unable to breathe properly. Now I have plenty of time to regain full health.”
The former St. Bridget’s Convent student who has a Masters in Business Administration and a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, will not give up on Olympic dream despite being 30 next year.
“I am confident that I will still do everything in my power to be in Tokyo. My dreams are not cancelled, they are simply delayed. I waited 28 years to be an Olympian. I can wait one more,” said Wijayaratne who has also been nominated for a Presidential Sports award.