Long-distance runner Samarasinghe brought laurels to the country

V. K. L. Samarasinghe

V. K. L. Samarasinghe

Vijitha Kanda Lekamlage Samarasinghe, who represented Sri Lanka in the marathon at the Seoul Olympic Games in 1988, was born in Kuruwita on January 16, 1962 and was educated at Parakaduwa Narada MV.

He had participated in several athletic events under the guidance of his Games Teacher Nihal Fernando.

In 1983, he made his appearance for the first time in the National Marathon and was placed fourth. In 1985, he was placed second and in 1986, he won this event.

Thereafter, he came under the wing of Coach Lakshman de Alwis and went on to participate in several international marathons between 1986 and 1991. His best achievement was 2:16.00s at the SAF Games in 1987, held in Kolkata, India.

Earlier, Samarasinghe won the Gold Medal at the 1986 SAF Games in Kathmandu, Nepal where he returned a time of 2.22.00s. He then clocked 2.24.38s at the Biwako Marathon in Japan in 1987 followed by the World Cup Marathon in Seoul, Korea where he secured the 42nd place with a time of 2.23.36s.

In the same year, Samarasinghe participated in the World Championship in Rome to claim the 34th place with a time of 2.28.35s.

In 1988, he had the opportunity of competing in two top marathons in the United States. He was placed 38th at the Los Angeles Marathon with a time of 2.23.46s and was placed 18th at the Grandma’s Marathon in Minnesota with a time of 2.28.35s.

At the 24th Olympics in Seoul, Korea Samarasinghe had to be content with the 65th place while clocking 2.31.00s But in the following year he produced a fine performance to clinch the 9th place at the Biwako Marathon in Japan with a time of 2.19.41s.

Samarasinghe also participated in the World Cup Marathon in 1989 and secured the 33th place with a time of 2.17.35s He won the Gold Medal at the IV SAF Games held in Islamabad, Pakistan with a time of 2.19.41s and also participated in the Asian Championships in 1990.

He made his appearance in the World Cup Marathon in London in 1991, clocking 2.25.09s and went on to win the Silver Medal at the EKIDAN Road Relay in Japan in 1991. Samarasinghe was a force to be reckoned with in the Asian circuit and he stamped his class by winning the Gold Medal at the Pune International in

1991 with a time of 2.23.36s

In the same year, he also won the Silver Medal at the Hong Kong International with a time of 2.20.57s

After an absence from local competitions for a few years, in 1992, Samarasinghe came into his own and won the National Marathon with a time of 2.18 41.

He served as a Sergeant in the Sri Lanka Army Signal Corps and underwent military training in the USA. Samarasinghe gained the distinction of being the fourth marathon runner to represent Sri Lanka in the Olympic Games. (C.D)