The 2012 Summer Olympics marked Anuradha Cooray's second appearance in the Olympic Games after placing 30th at the 2004 Men's Olympic marathon. At 34, he was the oldest competitor to represent Sri Lanka at the London Summer Games. Cooray met the "B" qualification standard for the Games by recording a time of two hours, 17 minutes and 50 seconds at the 2012 London Marathon. Leading into the Olympics he trained in the English town of Aylesbury with coach Nick Taylor. In an interview with "The Sunday Times" before the Games, Cooray said he was aware it would be a difficult task to compete against the leading marathon runners in the world but aimed to finish in the top fifteen positions. He competed in the event on 12 August, finishing 55th out of 85 runners, with a time of 2 hours, 20 minutes and 41 seconds. Afterwards Cooray spoke of his enjoyment of the Olympics; although he criticised the marathon course for its sharp turns, he said he was proud of his achievement.