KUALA LUMPUR – Former national athletics ace Mohamad Hanapiah Nasir could sense that his time was up, his son Mohd Qazreen Qazreeq said.
Qazreen told The Vibes his father informed the family that he was ready to “return to the Almighty”, the day before he was admitted to Kuala Lumpur Hospital.
“He told us should anything happen to him, he requested us to be ‘redho’ (to accept everything that has happened wholeheartedly and sincerely),” said the 35-year-old project manager of a fibre optic company.
“He implied as if he was ready (to leave us), moments before he had breathing difficulties.”
Qazreen described his father as a warrior who could pump weights even while battling cancer throughout the past seven years.
“Despite his ailing condition, my father kept being himself, kept fighting against the odds,” said Qazreen, adding that Hanapiah had made a brief recovery from leukaemia in 2019.
Prior to his passing, Hanapiah, dubbed as “Ironman” in the sports world, was bedridden for three weeks. He had also required dialysis three times a week for the last five or six months,” Qazreen said.
On Sunday evening, Hanapiah was in critical condition at the intensive care unit. Recollecting the final hours, Qazreen said the doctor had prompted the family to be prepared for the bad news since the medication dose for Hanapiah’s heart complications could only last for an hour.
“Approximately at 6pm (on Sunday), there was no heartbeat,” he recalled sadly.
The 66-year-old legendary athlete was pronounced dead at 6.03pm due to chronic myelogenous leukaemia with septic shock and multi-organ failure.
He was laid to rest at the Jalan Ampang cemetery yesterday.
Other than Qazreen, Hanapiah is survived by wife Norafidah Abdul Talib, daughter Navia Natasya, and four grandchildren.
During his career, Hanapiah won four SEA Games gold medals: in the decathlon in 1981 and 1983 and a double at the 1985 Games in the long jump and 110m hurdles.
He broke the SEA Games records in the long jump with a jump of 7.59m and 110m hurdles.
He also won silver in the 4x100m event with Rabuan Pit, Sivaling Govindasamy, and Nordin Jadi.
Hanapiah was crowned Selangor’s Sportsman of The Year in 1985 following his strong performance at the SEA Games.
He had clinched his first gold medal in the 110m hurdles at the 1980 Asean Athletics Championship, better known as the Suharto Cup, back then in Kuala Lumpur.
“Ironman” was also as an ardent petrol head and had survived more than 60 high-powered motorbike crashes.
After retirement, Hanapiah received a diploma in coaching and was given the nickname “Atuk” (grandpa) by the athletics fraternity when he was named national head coach from 2005 to 2009.
Former Malaysia Athletics Federation president Tan Sri Khalid Yunus said Hanapiah’s passing was a huge loss to the nation.
“As an athlete, he fought for the country relentlessly with strong grit and resilience on the track and field.
“He was a rare breed, showing firm discipline with extraordinary endurance when facing obstacles and extreme challenges.”
Khalid said that today’s athletes from all sports backgrounds should emulate Hanapiah’s tenacity.
“My advice is if anyone wants to be successful and learn how to be ‘sabar’ (patient) during difficult times, Hanapiah is the prime example,” Khalid added. – The Vibes, July 18, 2023
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