UNSUNG HERO of Mother Sri lanka

     UNHONOURED  AND  UNSUNG

An International Athletic Competition was held in Japan during 1964. A Sri Lankan marathon competitor Karunananda participated in the marathon race and was the last runner to complete the race.

He did not give up the competition whereas the 1^st winner has overtaken him by 3 rounds and the other participants were resting after completing the marathon race. But Sri Lankan Karunananda continued his running alone until he completed his last round.

However when he was returning to the pavilion, all the spectators got up from their seats and clapped to appreciate his worthy deed. When the media officers questioned him that with knowing he was the last runner, why did he continue his running without stopping. He replied as follows.

1.     Winning the game is not only valuable, but completing the game is very much valued.

2.     I have come all the way from Sri Lanka to Japan for the purpose of participating in the marathon race. Therefore I must complete even the last round although I have lost the victory.

Japanese appreciated his courage and enthusiasm and had allocated a page in the primary school class book to encourage the children. Japanese recognize only two persons in Sri Lanka. They are Karunananda as the first person and J. R. Jayawardane as the second person.

But in Sri Lanka nobody knows about our great hero Karunananda and there is no appreciation about his courage.