Sri Lanka record holder and reigning champion in race walking, B.N.M. Nayanananda, who was once acclaimed by race walking judges at an Asian Games to have ‘possessed the best walking style in Asia’, considers lack of interest of officials who reigned at the helm is the reason for the sorry state of race walking in the country.

While naming athletic association’s endeavour of bringing down a Malaysian coach for a race walking workshop as just a single step towards addressing the problems, Nayanananda said encouraging more competitions at local level is the key to popularizing this aged old discipline in an interview with ‘Sunday Island - Sportstar.’ He also spoke about his bitter experiences in persevering a career in race walking in an era where many couldn’t see a bright future for the sport.

The Sri Lanka Athletic Association is bringing down reputed race walking coach Khoo Chong Beng of Malaysia for a 10-day workshop after media highlighted the mishaps of the race walking championship of the National Sports Festival at Dehiattakandiya few weeks back.

"Bringing a foreign coach to help local athletes and coaches is just a single step towards helping this struggling sport. We too have good coaches here and it is vital that we get their services properly and give more emphasis to organizing a few more race walking events a year," said Nayanananda who persuaded in the discipline without the support of a coach in his first few years.

"We have very few race walking events a year. Because of that it is very difficult to persuade young athletes to take up this sport. Organising a few more race walking events is vital. And including this event in national level schools athletic championships is very important for this sport to take root in this country," Nayanananda explained.

Now a PTI by profession (D.S. Senanayake College, Colombo) Nayanananda said that his attempt to persevere in this sport at a very tender age received a blow because of the none-existence of it in national level at his beginning years.

"When I went to Bomiriya MV, Kaduwela I took part in Unde-13 400 meter race walking events at the District meets in early 80s. But couldn’t take part in national level events because it was not conducted at that level after that."

"At the age of 13 I could beat Under-19 athletes. But even after doing that I couldn’t precede because of the absence of the event at national level."

Nayanananda said that in his teen years he was not aware of the Bata Race Waling event which was otherwise the only such event held at the national level.

He said that the attitude of the athletic hierarchy towards race walking at his heyday was also a reason for the present situation.

Nayanananda cited numerous occasions where he had to write to authorities to get his due place to take part in international race walking events and said the authorities lacked the knowledge of the sport to foresee the country’s prospects at the international level.

"I found it hard to win places in contingents for various international events. Even after producing qualifying standards many doubted my style of walking. And when I finally got my due place in the Asian Games contingent in 1998 even the team’s athletic coaches doubted my ability. The only advice I got was not to tarnish the name of the country by violating the rules of race walking in the opening event of the Games."

Asian Games –

"But I proved a point there. I couldn’t win a place but I won a merit certificate for my time of 1:30:45 seconds. And I was praised by race walking judges who said that I possessed the best walking style at the competition. I and the winner of the event were the only athletes not to get a red marking on the warning board. That humbled the coaches who doubted my style and they came and congratulated me.

"When their views were telecasted by Rupavahini it opened the eyes of many but still I had to keep on writing to get my place in international competitions." Incidentally, Nayanananda’s 01 hour 30.45 minutes feat in 1998 Asian Games is still the National record.

He said that after performing well in the next Asian Games as well he was not picked for the Asian Championships and that made him to retire but came back after his coach (since 1998) B.T.L. Kularatne persuaded him. "I was well in contention for a place in the 2006 Commonwealth Games but was not given the opportunity. I wrote to His Excellency president. And when he intervened the authorities said that it was too late to enter my name and I was promised that I would be sent for the World Championship.

Frustrations –

"But they never kept the promise. That frustrated me a lot. After I wrote to the president the authorities were after me and they denied all opportunities. I was given the opportunity to take part in the Race Walking Asian Championship in Japan (2006) but I was accompanied by a coach who knew nothing about the sport. My coach didn’t get a single opportunity to accompany me to the few international events I took part. This is how they treated me and on this back drop the people who are interested in promoting this sport find it very difficult to persuade young people to take up the sport."

He said that it is vital to provide opportunities for race walking athletes to compete in international events to get exposure and also to motivate them.