In the 1964 Tokyo Olympics

"Sweetest Loser" Karunananda
The Olympics held in Japan adds special importance to Sri Lanka. The Tokyo Olympics held in Japan 57 years ago, in 1964, was important to Asia because it was the first Olympics held in Asia.
Sri Lanka was given special importance in that Olympics because the best athlete in the first Asian Olympics was a Sri Lankan.
57 years ago, the athlete who achieved that honor for our country was none other than RJK Karunananda, who was known as the best long-distance runner in this country at that time. Karunananda became the greatest athlete in that Olympics not by winning the sports event in which he participated but by being a loser. Karunananda not only became a world-famous person by being the "loveliest loser" in that Olympics, but also brought great fame to this little Sri Lanka.
Although this lovely loser is not alive today, it can be assumed that there are a very small group of people who know about him. Although this unique player named Karunananda is not important to our country, he is still a hero to Japan. A person of exceptional importance.
Although Karunananda is a hero to the Japanese people, how many people in our country know about him?
The forgotten Sri Lankans will remember this wonderful athlete again with the Olympics to be held in Japan next month. It was speculated that a special note could also be made regarding this unique player, whom the Japanese treat with great respect
can. The Japanese were such a wonderful nation that they honored Karunananda by including him in a Japanese textbook as well as being an ideal figure for the country.
We were able to find information about this wonderful player named Karunananda because of Mr. Sanjeeva Wijepala, who works as a senior lawyer at the Kurunegala High Court.
The 17th Olympics held in their country was very helpful for Japan, which was completely destroyed by the Second World War, to rise again. The Japanese were ready to get every little bit of everything they could from this international sports festival, which was being held for the first time in their country.
Six players were authorized to participate in the Games representing our country. Even though the sport was not as popular then as it is today, it can be understood from the participation of these players how high the sport was in our country in the past when compared to today. The leadership of this team was given to Mr. Ravi Jayawardena, the son of the late former President JR Jayawardena, and he represented the shooting event. Apart from him, RJK Karunananda, MR Perera (shooting), Malcolm Bulker, Winston Vancullerberg (boxing), Ernest Fernando (wrestling) participated in the athletic event. The manager of this team was Mr. VA Sugathadasa, who was later a sports minister in this country.
Everything is ready to start the 10,000 meters long distance running event of the Tokyo Olympics, which showed the world this unique opportunity related to Karunananda. With the signal given by the match referee, the contestants started to slowly move forward. After a few laps, Karunananda was more than 200 meters behind as the rest of the competitors, who got rid of Karunananda, gradually increased their speed and pushed forward. The total number of laps in this race was 25 and when the 20th lap of the race started, Karunananda was running the last of the race.
When the signal for the final round of the competition was issued, the three players from Japan, Tunisia and America had entered the medal fight. After a very intense competition, the Olympic gold medal in the 10,000 meters event was won by William Millas of America, the silver medal went to Mohamed Gamous of Tunisia, and the bronze medal went to the athlete from Japan.

That match was over. The race organizers were ready to prepare the field for the next race, but there was no space for that because only one competitor in the 10,000m race was still running alone on the track. It was none other than Karunananda who represented our country. The whole world started talking about our little country, and Karunananda will make history in this Olympics in the remaining 1600 meters or the last four rounds of running.
At the start of the first 400 meters or the first lap
More than sixty thousand match spectators who had come to the stadium began to mock Karunananda in various ways. But our Karunananda is not responsible for that. As he made his second round, there were cheers from the spectators. Karunananda, who did not pay any attention to the boos, started his third round alone in the middle of the boos. It is the 24th round of the competition.
At one point there was a faint applause from among the spectators who booed Karunananda. The soft applause that started like that turned into a great sound that shook the entire Olympic stadium in a few moments.
But without hearing anything, Karunananda started the final round of this historic match. At the same time, the whole stadium began to roar with one voice.
Karu Ceylon...!

Karu Ceylon...!
Karunananda finished the last 400 meters of the race with a fast 100 meter run.
This is a very emotional moment

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