Karu's dreams shattered

Chris Dhambarage

Sunday, April 6 was set to be a significant day for him. After several months of planning and hard work he was about to produce the results in the form of a marathon organized with the hope of finding new talent for the future.

But the dreams of K. A. Karunaratne were robbed in a few seconds by a cruel LTTE suicide cadre on that awful day moments before the commencement of the regional marathon organized by his club Adhishtana Sports Club in collaboration with the Athletic Association.

Karunaratne was a person who had a vision which he was set to unfold for the benefit of the long distance runners in this country. This marathon was just the initiative of a series of events that would have brought great amount of pride and honour to the motherland.

But all his dreams were shattered as he sacrificed his life following a bomb explosion which was targeted at Minister Jeyaraj Fernandopulle who was the chief guest at this inaugural event.

Karunaratne's demise to the country is a huge one considering the fact that he was one person who was able to guide the young promising athletes in this country towards great achievements. He was laying a solid foundation and one of his main ambitions was to conduct an international marathon in Colombo.

Fifty three year old Marathon Karu as he was better known in the athletic scene had in fact started a brand new life by shifting to his new residence in Kandaliyaddapaluwa, Ragama recently. But after spending just two week's there has bid farewell to his beloved wife, two children and the nation.

Veteran long distance runner Karunaratne was a household name in Sri Lanka during his illustrious career where he excelled in a number of international marathons. He was also the undisputed king at the popular Nestomalt Kreeda marathon organized by the Associated Newspapers of Ceylon Limited.

His champion performances would have certainly influenced Nestle Lanka Limited to sponsor this inaugural marathon in Weliweriya which was worked off under the supervision of Karunaratne. He certainly had big plans to promote long distance running in Colombo and in the suburbs.

Karunaratne who was recently elected President of the Ceylonese Track and Field Club (CT and FC) was planning to make this event an annual international race from next year. His main objective was to groom a talented set of long distance runners who could have emulated his feats.

Karunaratne completed a golden double when Sri Lanka hosted the South Asian Games for the first time in 1991 where he bagged the men's marathon race as well as the men's 10,000 metres event respectively.

He successfully defended his marathon title once again by winning the gold medal at the 1993 South Asian Games held in Dhaka. Karunaratne has been serving the Sri Lanka Army as a Warrant Officer during the last few years and it will be a daunting task to find a replacement for him.

He represented the country at the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona and several other international events with distinction.