Wimalasena, A Man Who Weathered The Storm
Wimalasena Perera who turns 80 years today, ran the Marathon at high altitude in the 1968 Mexico Olympics and got to know he finished 51st the next day in hospital.
If Karunanda was remembered for his courage to finish the 10,000m in Tokyo 1964, R.A. Wimalasena Perera who competed in the Marathon four years later was no different with his determination to finish the race!
Born on this day in 1945, Wimalasena had his primary education Wedamulla MV and later moved to Sri Dharmaloka Vidyalaya, Kelaniya where he went on to break the Sri Lanka School's 1500m record. With the hopes of representing Sri Lanka, he joined the Sri Lanka Army as a Warrant Officer and in 1966, he broke the National Record in the Marathon held by Linuz Diaz.
Although he missed the selection to compete alongside the likes of Karunananda in the 1964 Olympics, Wimalasena trained hard to reach his Olympic dream. Having broken the National record in 1966 by 11 seconds, he also took part in the Commonwealth Games that year but was forced to pull out of the race due to an injury. That same year, he was the flag bearer of the Asian Games team and finished in 7th place.
The High Altitude in Mexico
Then came the big year - 1968. He was already a first choice competitor to be selected for the contingent but what happened in Mexico was a completely different story altogether. This Olympics was recorded to have the highest altitude in the history of the Games (over 7000 feet above sea level), with many competitors suffering from the thin air.
Wimalasena was already starting to feel the effects of the conditions, developing sinuses and had already injured his right leg from training. It got so bad that he was administered 36 injections all over his body so that he could run the event he had dreamed of competing in. Then came the day of the race.
Out of the 75 athletes who competed in the Men's Marathon, only 57 of them reached the finishing line. In the translated words of Wimaladasa - "I was determined to finish the course, even if I had to crawl on all fours." His "never give up" in High Altitude saw him finish 51st place, although he only got to know his place the next day as he was admitted to the hospital.
One of the Oldest Living Olympians
He may not remember the last stretch of how he finished the race, but his sheer determination in tough conditions is an exemplary one to all. Sometimes in life, we don't get an easy path to succeed, but we must remember to finish what we came for, lesson he left for us all after running through such adversity.
Wimalasena would go on to compete in a few more events before his retirement, and remained the National Record holder till 1991, for 25 years. He also served in the capacity of Chief Selector in Athletics and currently spends his retirement life within the Kelaniya Community as a Social Welfare Worker.
Celebrating his 80th birthday as one of the oldest living Olympians in Sri Lanka, but one of the longest standing supporters of The Sidelines over the years, always leaving behind a kind comment for every achievement by the new generation of athletes!
Recieving the Lifetime Achievement of "Kreeda Rathna" at the Presidential Awards in 2016
Mr. Wimaladasa at the launch ' 100 Years of Sri Lankan Athletics' in 2022