Welson, Fatehah crowned Olympians of the Year
KUALA LUMPUR: Kuala Lumpur SEA Games 2 017 ( KL2017) double gold medallist, Welson Sim and track cyclist Fatehah Mustapa were crowned male and female Olympian of the Year for 2017 at the 24th Olympic Council of Malaysia ( OCM) Annual Dinner and Awards Night on Thursday.
Welson, 20, had also won the gold medal in the men’s 400m freestyle at the Mare Nostrum Tour in Monaco in June by edging Olympic champion Mack Horton of Australia and rewrote the national record, to become only the second Malaysian to win a title in the tour, after Phee Jinq En last year.
In KL2017, the Kuching- born youth claimed two gold after defending his 400m freestyle title and winning the 200m freestyle event, besides a silver and a bronze in the 4x100m freestyle and 4x200m freestyle events.
Meanwhile, the 28- year- old Fatehah had also proved her worth with four gold medals in KL2017 – in women’s keirin, sprint, team sprint and 500m time trial – as well as a bronze in keirin at the Melbourne International Grand Prix in Australia and a good showing at the World Cup in Manchester.
Meanwhile, ace shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei, the 2016 Rio Olympics silver medallist, was named the male Olympian of the Year for 2016, while the diving darlings Cheong Jun Hoong and Pandelela Rinong, the silver medal winning pair in women’s 10m platform synchronised at Rio, were announced as joint winners in the female category at the ceremony held at the Tan Sri Hamzah Arena, OCM Indoor Sports Complex, here.
At the ceremony, SportsUnite, a movement committed to junior sports development in the country since it was founded in 2007, was awarded the 2017 International Olympic Committee (IOC) Trophy – “Sport Beyond Borders”.
The event also saw 22 inductees in OCM ‘s Hall of Fame, a recognition for outstanding retired athletes, sports of f icials and sports journalists and media personnel, aged 40 years and above.
Former sprinter and Olympian, Jo s ephi ne Ma r y, forme r badminton great Wong Choong Hann, Nor Effandy Rosli (cycling) andNurulHudaBaharin(shooting) are among the inductees for 2016, while the list for 2017 saw Annie Choong (athletics) and Datuk Wira Gan Boon Leong ( body building) among others.
Datuk Norminshah Sabirin bagged the 2017 OCM Women and Sport Award while Rusni Abu Hassan emerged winner for 2016.
The Olympians of the Year received RM10,000 and a medal each.
Fatehah was not present as she is currently in training in Australia.
The prizes were given away by OCM deputy president Datuk Seri Mohamad Norza Zakaria. — Bernama