FORMER gold medallist in the 1998 Commonwealth Games 50-kilometre (KM) walk, G Saravanan was visibly moved when he was visited by Deputy Minister of Youth and Sports, Adam Adli Abd Halim and the Prime Minister's Political Secretary, Datuk Ahmad Farhan Fauzi at the University Malaya Medical Centre (PPUM), today.
Adam and Ahmad Farhan along with the Board of Trustees of the National Athletes Welfare Foundation (YAKEB), Dr Ahmad Munawar Helmi Salim and YAKEB General Manager, Zuhairi Abd Manaf also brought a message from the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, who handed over a donation of RM10,000.
"He was struck by misfortune when he suffered from the rare disease Motor Neurone Disease (MND), just like Datuk Mokhtar Dahari, our football legend.
"We pray that Saravanan's health will improve and that he will fully recover and we can witness his extraordinary spirit," said Adam.
The 55-year-old former national race walker once brought pride to the country by winning gold at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur Commonwealth Games, is now bedridden in hospital with MND
At the height of his career, Saravanan carved a name for himself on the international stage. He clinched a bronze medal at the 1995 Asian Championships in Jakarta. Two years later, he struck gold at the SEA Games held at the same venue.
His proudest moment came at the 1998 Commonwealth Games on home soil, where he captured the gold medal in the 50km walk.
It was the first time the event was contested at the Games, and his winning time of 4 hours 10.05 seconds still stands as the national record 26 years later. – April 18, 2025
