Never back down
Veteran Kumar doesn’t believe in giving up despite hardships
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s longest serving goalkeeper S. Kumar faced three major hardships in his career – when he lost his father and son, then failed a doping test.
But the 38-year-old keeps coming back. While many would have given up after going through the three difficult experiences in life, Kumar continues to stand tall.
He proved that he is still one of the best goalkeepers in the country when he was named for the World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, from Nov 28-Dec 16.
And Kumar is eyeing to justify his selection by doing well in his last World Cup.
Kumar admitted there were times when he thought that his career was over, but the support from his family, friends and hockey fraternity kept him going.
He also religiously sought divine help in the midst of chaos at different stages of his difficult life and found peace.
“Any other player would have given up hockey if they had gone through what I’ve gone through,” said Kumar, who has represented Malaysia since the 1999 Brunei SEA Games.
“The tragedies broke me apart. Then, I had to face the doping ban ... it was such a tough period for me.”
He lost his father and No. 1 fan S. Subramaniam in 2010 while Kumar was in New Delhi for the Commonwealth Games.
Five years later, Kumar’s youngest son Harshenn, 3, died at the Kuala Lumpur Hospital due to a blood infection while he was in Antwerp, Belgium, for the World League Semi-Finals.
Last year, the Tampin-born was tested positive for sibutramine – an appetite suppressant banned by the World Anti Doping Agency – after a group match against Oman in the Asia Cup in Dhaka, Bangladesh. He was banned for six months.
Glad that his career did not end in a miserable way, Kumar aims to make amends in his second and final World Cup outing.
“I’m glad that I’m still needed in the national team. Besides, hockey is an avenue to forget all my painful memories,” said Kumar, who has been the mainstay of the team for about two decades.
Malaysia are in the World Cup partly because of Kumar’s excellent performance when he pulled off breathtaking saves to help Malaysia finish fourth in the World League Semi-Finals in London last year.
That earned Malaysia a spot for the World Cup and Kumar was adjudged the best goalkeeper in the tournament.
“Winning the best keeper is not important, my focus is to play well between the two posts and help Malaysia finish in the top-10 at the World Cup,” said Kumar, who has recovered from a minor thumb injury.
Malaysia are drawn in Group D and they will open their campaign against Holland on Dec 1 followed by matches against Pakistan (Dec 5) and Germany (Dec 9).