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Malaysia’s Best Athletes Over the Past 59 Years

Check out our list of 10 of the finest sportspeople in the country.

Written by Sasha Ray

7 min readPublished on 19.01.2017 · 11:22 UTC

Fresh off recent wins at the Rio Olympics by stars Lee Chong Wei, Pandelela, Jun Hoong, Chan Peng Soon, Goh Liu Ying and Azizul Awang, this Merdeka, we’ve decided to pay homage to some of Malaysia’s best sports personalities, past and present.

The women and men listed here have not only dedicated themselves to the pursuit of excellence in sports but have given their all to bring glory to their country. Throughout their illustrious careers, these athletes never gave up even during the toughest challenges. They have overcome many hurdles in their pursuit of the elusive gold.

1. Tan Sri Dr. M. Jegathesan

Known as the Flying Doctor, Jegathesan’s name was on everyone’s lips for blazing the tracks across Asia in the 1960s. He first began participating seriously in track and field during his medical studies and soon earned the title of Fastest Man in Asia at the 1966 Asian Games in Bangkok, bringing home 3 gold medals. Dr. Jegathesan also participated in three Olympic Games and the Commonwealth Games in 1966, where he became the first Malaysian to qualify for the 200m run. After retiring from track and field, he continued to work in the country’s health service for 32 years, and remains active in Malaysian sports up till today.

Achievements:

1966 Asian Games in Bangkok – 3 gold medals
1st Malaysian to qualify for Commonwealth Games 200m final

2. Dato’ Nicol Ann David

Nicol David taking a shot with Daniil Kivyat
© Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

Nicol David holds the distinction of being the only athlete in the world who has held on to a No. 1 ranking for almost 9 years, from 2006 to 2015. In addition to being considered by many as the greatest squash player of all time, Nicol has not only promoted squash on court but off it as well. Together with the World Squash Federation, she has long lobbied for squash to be included as an Olympic sport. Off the court, Nicol also takes time out to coach children at squash camps and is also UNDP’s Goodwill Ambassador for Malaysia, helping to bring attention to the marginalised and vulnerable.

Achievements:

Won the World Open title, a record 8 times, between 2005 – 2014
First squash player to win the World Junior title twice, in 1999 and 2001
Awarded World Squash Association Player of the Year 7 times, between 2005 - 2012

3. Felicia Mikat

Felicia, 17, from Tambunan, Sabah, burst onto the scene last year when she made Malaysia very proud after winning 3 gold medals at the 8th ASEAN Para Games in November 2015. To add on to her gold tally, she won another 3 gold medals at the 18th Paralympiad Games in Sarawak recently. The independent young woman, who has lived at a residential school, away from her parents since the age of 7, has certainly never allowed any hurdles to get in the way of achieving her dreams.

Achievements:

3 gold medals at the 2015 ASEAN Para Games, Singapore
3 gold medals at the 2016 Paralympiad Games, Sarawak

4. Jazeman Jaafar

Jazeman on track
© Malte89n / Wikimedia Commons

Jazeman dreamt of becoming a professional race-car driver at the tender age of six after a visit to a go-kart circuit. Those dreams became closer to a reality when he won his first go-kart race at age eight. At 14, he earned an International C licence (which is normally only granted to those aged 15, minimum) to race professionally in Asia. Today, he drives in the Blancpain GT Series in Europe. Recently, Jazeman became the first Asian to ever take a win in the Series, winning the 2nd round of the Blancpain Endurance Series at Silverstone.

Achievements:

2006: Finished 3rd in the Asian Formula Renault 2.0
2007: Won the driver’s title at Formula BMW Asia
2012: Finished 2nd in the British Formula 3 Championship

5. Rabuan Pit

At the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi, Rabuan Pit walked away with the title of Asia’s Fastest Man after he won the 100m final, the 2nd Malaysian to earn that title. Despite a short career spanning 6 years (from 1979 to 1985), Rabuan lifted the hearts and hopes of Malaysians with gold and silver medal wins throughout his career. Unfortunately, he was forced to retire from running due to a nagging heel injury in 1985. Today, he continues to keep busy, albeit behind the scenes, giving motivational talks and being involved in the National Athletes Welfare Foundation.

Achievements:

Jakarta SEA Games 1979 – 2 gold medals and 1 silver
Sportsman of the Year in 1980 and 1982
National champion in the 100m, 200m and 400m
1985 Bangkok SEA Games - 3 silver medals in the 200m, 4x100m and 4x400m

6. Datuk Marina Chin

In the 1970s, Marina Chin won the hearts of Malaysians across the country with her speed and grace. Dubbed the nation’s ‘Track Queen’, she was the national women’s 100m champion as well as a top hurdler. At one time, she was not only the fastest woman in Malaysia, but the fastest in South-East Asia as well. Today, she continues her passion for sports, as principal of Bukit Jalil Sports School, in charge of the next-generation of Malaysian athletes.

Achievements:

7 gold medals in the SEA Games during the 1970s
Sportswoman of the Year in 1976 and 1977

7. Azizul Hasni Awang

Azizul clinching the Bronze at the Rio Olympics
© AzizulHasni Awang/Facebook

Azizul is flying high with his bronze medal win at the recent Olympics, but the ‘pocket rocket’ from Terengganu has certainly racked up quite a number of achievements before Rio. His passion for cycling began as a child, when he first watched his brother cycling. After a training stint in Terengganu, Azizul continued training at the Bukit Jalil Sports School and began professional track cycling in 2008. In 2011, Azizul made headlines around the world when he came in 3rd in the Men’s Kieren final at the Track World Cup in Manchester DESPITE serious injuries - including a 20 cm splinter in his left calf - from an earlier crash during the race.

Achievements:

Gold medals at the 2008 & 2009 Asian Cycling Championships
Overall winner of the Keirin event at the 2008 / 2009 World Cup
Bronze medal winner at 2016 Olympics

8. Khairul Idham Pawi

Future of Malaysian motor racing
© Honda Team Asia

Hailing from Perak, 17-year-old Khairul is a motor racer with the Moto3 World Championship. He holds the distinction of being the very first Malaysian to win a MotoGP race category. Super KIP, as he’s known on the race-track, has made quite a name for himself, and is looking to be the 1st Malaysian Moto3 champion in the near future.

We spoke to him here.

Achievements:

2014: Winner of the Asian Dream Cup
2016: Winner of the Argentine and German GPs, Moto3 World Championship

9. Mirnawan Nawawi

Mirnawan, or The Boss as he was known on the pitch, first began playing hockey for the country in 1988 as part of the Junior World Cup team. He was next chosen for the Malaysian national hockey team as a skipper in 1992. Mirnawan was known for his excellent dribbling skills, and was part of the national hockey team at 3 Olympics, 3 Asian Games and 2 World Cups. In 2002, he retired from international games after earning 327 caps. Today, he manages the National Juniors and is also a TV commentator.

Achievements:

250 career goals
Played at the 1992, 1996 and 2001 Olympics

10. Mokhtar Dahari

Mokhtar Dahari was one of Malaysia’s best-loved athletes in the 1970s and 80s. Whenever he played, whether as part of Selangor FA or the Malaysian national football team, cries of ‘SuperMokh’ echoed around the stadium as fans cheered their favorite player on. He was not just a brilliant footballer but a fiercely loyal player for our club and country. With SuperMokh at the helm, Selangor FA won the Malaysia Cup a record 10 times and Mokhtar was instrumental in Malaysia winning the 1977 and 1979 SEA Games gold medals. After retiring in 1987, he became a coach, training Malaysia’s next generation of footballers. Sadly, Malaysia lost one of its most talented footballers and athletes, when Mokhtar passed away in July 1991.

Achievements: