Never give (SEPTEMBER 17 - 23) up in life

Mariappan hopes our para athletes will continue to push the limits

NOT many may know this, but powerlifter P. Mariappan (pic) is the man who won Malaysia’s first medal at the Paralympics almost 30 years ago.

The powerlifting legend competed in seven Paralympics and won two bronze medals – in Seoul (1988) and Barcelona (1992).

He also competed in Atlanta (1996), Sydney (2000), Athens (2004), Beijing (2008) and London (2012). This is no ordinary feat as Mariappan was afflicted with polio when he was just three years old.

But he never let his physical disability stop him from working his way up to become a successful powerlifter.

The 59yearold former world record holder (Melbourne 1994 and London 1995) of the World Wheelchair Games, has this advice for all para athletes: “Never give up in life”.

“I’ve dedicated 34 years of my life to the sport – leaving my family behind to travel to competitions. It was tough struggling with family commitments and financial burdens.

“But that’s what sports is all about – making sacrifices. I’m glad that finally due recognition has been given to past Paralympians like me. We have been receiving our monthly pensions since last year. This means a lot to me and my family. I’ve also been given the honour of taking part in the opening ceremony of the Asean Para Games in Kuala Lumpur and asked to help out our powerlifters.

“The key to success is to work hard. There is no short cut to achieving your goals. I’m glad to see that our para athletes have worked hard to raise the bar by winning gold medals at the last Paralympics (in Rio de Janeiro in September last year). I hope to see this trend continue,” said Mariappan.

Under the National Sports Council’s (NSC) incentives scheme, those who win gold medals at the Olympics or Paralympics will receive a monthly pension of RM5,000, while the silver and bronze medal winners will get RM3,000 and RM2,000.

Only eight other para athletes have won medals since Mariappan’s feat in Seoul in 1988 (see chart).

Having won more than 70 medals since making his debut at the International Stoke Mandeville Wheelchair Sports Federation Games (ISMG) in London in 1981, Mariappan

does have one regret.

“I remember all the Paralympics. But the one that still rankles is Barcelona 1992. It was my best chance to win gold, but I lost due to some technical fault,” said Mariappan, who lives in a flat in Batu Caves, which he shares with disabled wife, B. Chandriga and their three children – Tanuja, 20, Sreetharan, 18, and Thaarani, 12.