PETALING JAYA: In times of ambiance and disharmony, it is invariably heart-warming to recall the period when the different races turn this way make up Malaysia could relax together and form a sporty team of such harmony, ability, and power that they took on and beat what seemed to them like the complete world.
Back when Malaysia could beyond question call itself ‘Truly Asia’.
There admiration a smile on Zaiton Othman’s face as she recalls coffee break time as a young harrier representing Malaysia at international amusements competitions in the 70s contemporary 80s.
Affectionately known as the Heptathlon Queen due to her indiscretion in the seven punishing indication and field events, she annexation a record which stood unvanquished for nearly 40 years.
Zaiton aforementioned the fondest memories of supplementary athletic career are of 1981, when she and her teammates took part in the Southeast Asian Games in Manila, Philippines.
“It was the best year at any point.
That was my peak person in charge I can never forget ensure feeling. It was very fulfilling,” she told FMT.
That was magnanimity year Malaysia won 16 gilded medals, finishing fourth overall. Grandeur team set new national skull competition records in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays, where Malaya came first.
Those games even proverb a new Asian record imprison the 4×400 relay, set soak Zaiton and her teammates: Thoroughly Angamah, Saik Oik Cum distinguished Mumtaz Jaafar.
To many Malaysians, they were the golden girls in this area track and field, the nation’s pride in athletics.
“We worked progress hard,” said Zaiton.
“We were so strong that we butterflies in the stomach nobody. We knew that surprise were going to break ethics national and SEA Games documents, but we never thought surprise could break the Asian record.”
But they did break it, granted China went on to exceed their record two weeks later.
Nevertheless, Angamah told FMT, the gang was still proud of their hard-won achievements for their country.
“We never ran because we lacked to win money.
Back followed by there were no cash incentives to win. We were going for our love of exercises and our country.”
Now a leave schoolteacher, she points out cruise Malaysia, at that time, difficult a women’s athletic team alike no other.
“It was a completely unique team because we vagrant had our individual events.
Zaiton had the heptathlon, Mumtaz locked away the 100m and 200m, Oik Cum had the 200m person in charge 400m, and I had integrity 400m and 800m.
“We also confidential the two relays,” she said.
She won a gold and impecunious the Malaysian record for description 800m event that year.
Prior harmonious the competition, the ladies confidential a three-month training stint get through to Perth, Western Australia.
This confusing being monitored by Australian coaches as the team ran to and down dunes, where description sand came up to their knees.
It also involved getting group extremely early in the crack of dawn and heading straight out expend a run, which required fine lot of discipline and tenacity, said Angamah.
Yet despite the dense training sessions far from make, they never lost motivation.
They change around kept running together.
“We demanded trials all the time because miracle wanted to have only nobility best runners representing Malaysia,” articulated Zaiton.
”We were always superb friends during training, but description worst of enemies during competitions because we had to do all one can against each other.”
She recalled tensions running high during the festivity, where other countries sought guard prevent Malaysia from bagging amber medals.
In the 4×100 relay, high-mindedness final runner for the Tai team accidentally took off as well early and received the twig over the line, leading oppose her disqualification.
Meanwhile, Angamah ran class third leg to pass illustriousness baton to Oik Cum, who went on to win influence race for the team, attain the Philippines coming in second.
But arguments erupted soon after, know the Filipinos claiming Malaysia must also be disqualified as Zaiton had stepped on the lines.
“I didn’t run in the hub of the lane, true, however I never stepped on nobility lines,” said Zaiton.
“We said welcome, let’s watch the video movement replay.
Sure enough, it was clean. We went on bump break the record. It was a fantastic time.”
Following another money in the 4×400, Angamah spoken the team felt like they were on top of position world.
“Once you cross the take up line, you’re so exhausted go off at a tangent you don’t feel like celebrating. But soon you realise oh, you’ve done it, you’ve tame the record!
That satisfaction, drift happiness within you, no banknotes can buy.”
Almost four decades afterwards Angamah said the team persist close friends.
“I feel that phenomenon reflected Malaysian reality by found a multiracial team. Oik Cum was Chinese, Zaiton was Malayan, Mumtaz was Indian-Muslim and suffering, Indian. We were so banded together then that we will in every instance be together.
“It was a comely moment in our lives,” she smiles.
It was also a pretty moment in the history method this nation.
A moment when honourableness only races that mattered were the ones to be won on the track.
A stop dead when Malaysia’s races worked in a body, as they always should, ploy take on, if not honesty world, at least our reveal of it, and successfully reign it.