Latest news with #PushpanathanLetchmanan
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Malaysia's Turbo Grandpa dies at 95
KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia's oldest sprinter Pushpanathan Letchmanan, known as Turbo Grandpa, has died at the age of 95. He passed away on Wednesday at Ipoh General Hospital after falling at home. Pushpanathan leaves behind a wife, daughter and two grandchildren. Pushpanathan was a legend who ran in his 90s and even outran younger athletes. Representing Perak, Pushpanathan wasn't chasing trophies, he was chasing purpose. Pushpanathan was an English teacher from SM Raja Chulan in Ipoh who took up athletics late in his life. He made his debut at the Malaysian Open Masters in 2018. He clocked 32.4 seconds in the 100m at the age of 93 to finish fourth in a category for men aged 75 and above. He was the only nonagenarian runner in the event. In 2023, Pushpanathan won the 100m gold in 28.74s ahead of India's Kirpal Singh (45.78s) in the 90-94 age group at the Malaysian International Open Masters in Kuala Lumpur. In the same meeting, he ran the 200m in 88.8s to finish second. Pushpanathan co-founded Swifts Athletics Club in Ipoh with Suppiah Ramalingam, helping to shape athletes like track queen M Rajamani. He also served for over 60 years as a technical officer at national and international meets, including the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur. The funeral ceremony for Pushpanathan will be held today at Six Pearls Funeral Parlour, Jalan Madras, Ipoh, followed by cremation at Buntong Crematorium.
New Straits Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New Straits Times
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.
