08-08-2025
Turbo Grandpa' Pushpanathan dies at 95
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's oldest competitive sprinter, Pushpanathan Letchmanan, has died at the age of 95.
According to FMT, the retired English teacher from SM Raja Chulan, Ipoh, died at Ipoh General Hospital on Wednesday night, a day after a fall at home.
Pushpanathan, who was known as "Turbo Grandpa", made his competitive athletics debut in 2018 at the Malaysian Open Masters. He won a silver medal in the 400m and went on to collect numerous medals in the years that followed.
Representing Perak Masters, he continued to defy age, often outrunning younger competitors and inspiring athletes of all generations.
At 93, he clocked 32.4 seconds in the 100m, finishing fourth in a men's 75-and-above category as the only runner over 90. In 2023, he won gold in the 100m in 28.74s in the 90-94 age group at the Malaysian International Open Masters Athletics Championships, before clinching another first-place finish in the 200m in 88.8s.
Asia Masters Athletics honorary president V Pulainthiran said Pushpanathan was a symbol of perseverance and lifelong passion for sport.
"He wasn't just a sprinter. He was proof that life doesn't end after retirement, and a reminder to the young that you can always begin again," he said. "The track was his mirror, it reflected his will, not his wrinkles."
Beyond his athletic achievements, Pushpanathan co-founded the Swifts Athletics Club in Ipoh with Suppiah Ramalingam, where he nurtured talent including M Rajamani, Malaysia's first Sportswoman of the Year.
He also served for more than six decades as a technical officer at national and international meets, including the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.
He is survived by his wife Mangleswary, daughter Shanthi Devi, and two grandchildren, Shalini and Vickram.
His funeral will be held from 11am to 12.30pm today at Six Pearls Funeral Parlour, Jalan Madras, Ipoh, followed by cremation at Buntong Crematorium.
