History was created by our Paralympians who won three gold medals — Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi in the 100m T36, clocking 12.07 seconds; Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli in shot put F20, hurling 16.84m; Abdul Latif Romly in the men’s long jump T20, jumping 7.6m.
Siti Noor Radiah Ismail won the bronze in the long jump T20.
All four achieved an incredible feat.
Thousands of congratulatory messages poured into Facebook for these athletes.
The dedication of coaches R. Jeganathan and Mohd Syahrul Amri Suhaimi should not be overlooked.
Jeganathan was instrumental in uplifting Malaysia’s long-distance running at the Sea Games.
He is well known for tapping the talent of long-distance king M. Ramachandran, who won eight gold medals at the Sea Games from 1993 to 1999 in the 5,000m and 10,000m, including two silvers in 1989 at the biennial games.
Ramachandran’s rise under the guidance of Jeganathan made it possible for him to win a silver medal in the 10,000m at the 1999 Asian Track and Field in Manila.
Ramachandran is the national record holder in the 5,000m with 14 minutes 6.84 seconds and the 10,000m with 29 minutes, 30.19 seconds.
Upon his retirement from Maybank, the coach joined Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) as a head coach at the National Athletic Coaching Certification Centre.
Jeganathan’s goal was to make a difference in the world by helping disabled athletes win at the Paralympics.
At the 2012 London Paralympics, Malaysia won one silver and one bronze.
At the 2014 Incheon Asian Paralympic Games in South Korea, Malaysia won 15 gold, 20 silver and 27 bronze medals.
But a tragedy took place when one of Jeganathan’s top sprinters was killed in an accident in 2014 and Jeganathan himself was involved in an accident in January last year.
A severe spinal injury nearly derailed his coaching career, but with surgery and rehabilitation, he recovered.
Last year, he won the Best Coach award organised by the Anugerah Negara Sukan for his dedication and perseverance in discovering talent and transforming them into champion athletes.
His love and passion for coaching Paralympic athletes never waned, and today, he is creating waves with his team of athletes and coaches by creating history as a chief coach in winning three gold medals and a bronze at the Paralympics.
On Sunday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak and Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and fellow Malaysians will accord a hero’s welcome to the four Paralympians.
C. Sathasivam Sitheravellu,
Seremban, Negri Sembilan