KANGAR: Ihsahn Syah Putra Azrul Anuar, 12, draws inspiration from his Paralympic heroes Datuk Abdul Latif Romly and Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi to overcome his learning disabilities.
The Year Six pupil from SK Santan recently broke his personal records in athletics.
At the 22nd Special Education MSSM Athletics Championships held in Ipoh from Oct 7 to 11, Ihsahn won gold in the 200m event and silver in the 100m event.
In the 100m event, he clocked 13.56 seconds, improving on his personal record of 13.8 seconds.
In the 200m event, he broke his personal record of 28.9 seconds and clocked 26.66 seconds.
"I believed I could win. I'm very happy that I won one of the events.
"I'm grateful to my coach and my mother who have been so supportive of my passion," he said during the Hero's Welcome Ceremony at SK Santan yesterday.
His mother, Suzie Azylia Sidar, said Ihsahn, the youngest of three siblings and her only son, showed a love for running from age 10.
"We noticed his learning difficulties in Year Three, so we transferred him to SK Santan as it has a special education programme. By Year Four, his athletic abilities were undeniable."
She said Ihsahn is a quiet boy who prefers playing video games at home when he is not training.
"He's reserved, but very determined, especially when it comes to achieving his goals. Winning gold and silver is proof of that.
"I've always seen his potential in this sport. Even before this achievement, his victories have brought pride to his school and state."
Perlis Education Department director Rose Aza praised Ihsahn and other young athletes for bringing pride to their school and state at the national level, proving that Perlis could produce talented athletes, including those in special education.
"We have special education icons. I plan to put these students into a Special Education Sports School Programme.
"I will discuss establishing a training programme for these talented special education athletes with the Perlis Sports Council and the Youth and Sports Ministry.
"We want to identify and nurture young athletes so that they can realise their potential at a higher level."