Qualifying timings and distances a must if athletics is to improve- S.L.B. Rosa

by Upananda Jayasundera - Kandy Sports Special Cor.

Remember Sri Lanka's long distance runner - S.L.B. Rosa? Well Rosa is back again in Sri Lanka on a six-month holiday from USA. It seems that Rosa is so attached to athletics in Sri Lanka, that he is unable to forget about the country of his birth. He made it a point to speak to the girls of Mahamaya and the boys at Dharmaraja College about what sort of training that one has to do for the improvement of athletics in general. Rosa was somewhat sad to note that the standard of athletics was not upto the mark. He said that it may be due to the lack of knowledge of the coaches and poor management. Rosa says that for every athletic meet (National or otherwise) there should be qualifying time for running events. Then there should be qualifying distance for throwing events.

He says that in America, to participate in the Boston Marathon, a runner should have run under 20 hours and 30 seconds to compete in the Open Marathon Event.

Rosa, an old boy of Roman Catholic School, Ampitiya started his long and successful athletic career when he won the annual Road Race organised by Dharmaraja College, Kandy. From that point onwards he went from strength to strength in athletics and wom the 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres at the Bangkok Asian Games in 1970.

Rosa, is an athlete, who was a great trier in his early years and after he left school, he was enlisted in the Army as a Private in 1963 and hung on till 1967. During the period of time, Rosa won the 10,000 the 1,500 and 5,000 metre races. From the Army he came over to the CTB in 1967 and worked in that organisation till 1971. In 1966 he won a Bronze Medal in 5,000 metres and 10,000 metres events at the Fifth Asian Games in Bangkok.

At the Government Services Athletic Meet earlier in 1969, I had the opportunity of running in the 100, 200 and 400 metres events and secured second place in all three events while another pal Stanley Fernando won all the events mentioned. Stanley Fernando was a former Sri Lanka hockey captain. It was a happy meeting with Rosa, who won the 5,000 and 10,000 metres events with case for the CTB' said Rosa. After winning the 5,000 and 10,000 metres events at the Government Services Meet in 1969, Rosa went on to bigger things and from his go Bronze Medals won at the 5th Asian Games in Bangkok, Rosa won the Gold Medals in 5,000 and 10,000 metres events at the Sixth Asian Games also held in Bangkok

In the 6th Asian Games, Rosa's timing in winning Gold Medals in his pet events ...5,000 metres in 14 minutes 32 seconds and 10,000 metres in 29 minutes 55.6 seconds.

Then in 1969 at the Singapore Invitation Athletic Meet, Rosa 'clocked' 14 minutes 21 seconds and that timing was good enough to gain participation at the Mexico Olympic Games, but bad luck came Rosa's way and he was unable to make the trip to Mexico for the Olympic Games.

A great trier that he is, Rosa would never take 'no' as an answer and his hard training got him the Gold Medals in the 1970 Asian Games and that brought him a large slice of luck as he was offered a scholarship to University of Wisconsin, Park Side, U.S.A. by the Director of that University Roshan Ditch and their athletic coach Bob Law Lawsan.Roshan Ditch and Bob Lawsan came with the athletes from the Phillipines as officials for the Asian Athletic Meet.Rosa followed a Business Management and Coaching Certification Course from 1970 to 1974 and he passed the Post Graduate Course in 1975. While studying he did not forget his marathon, running 22 miles daily for 8 months.

Rosa was running the 10,000 metres and 5,000 metres races earlier, however, on the advice of his coaches, Rosa changed over to running the Marathon.

Rosa was placed 4th in the Boston Marathon in 1976, but he was deprived of participating in the Montreal City Olympics in Canada. This was a big blow for Rosa who gave up athletics.