KUALA LUMPUR: V Subramaniam was once a decorated athlete but now, at 68, his body is giving out on him.
Fondly known as Subra, he won eight SEA Games gold medals in the 10km and 20km race walk events between 1977 and 1989 and was crowned Malaysian Sportsman of the Year.
He also trained notable race walkers who snared gold medals themselves at the same level from 1993 to 2015.
Now, though, it’s a struggle just to stay on his feet.
He suffers from stiffness, numbness and pain in both legs which makes it difficult for him to continue his passion for coaching junior race walkers, or to even earn a living.
At the moment, he is surviving on a pension of RM320 from Telekom Malaysia which he supplements by running a Western food stall at the Kampung Baru Ampang food court here.
He also trains junior walkers under the Federal Territory Schools Sports Council athletics development programme but now, his future there is uncertain.
A widower, he does not want to bother his two children as he desires to be independent.
But life is hard for the former athletics icon.
Four months ago, he asked for financial aid from Yayasan Kebajikan Atlet Kebangsaan to undergo an MRI scan for his legs.
His request was rejected, so he now relies on traditional therapy and acupuncture.
“I wonder if all the sacrifices I made were worthwhile,” he said.
“I don’t go around asking for handouts. I work hard to make ends meet, but considering my age, it is getting harder to survive.”
Subramaniam used to work as a walks coach with the National Sports Council. He did so for 11 years but three years ago, he lost his job.
It was at that point that the Malaysian Athletics Federation removed many old and experienced coaches in its revamp of the coaching set-up ahead of the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.
But while he is down on his luck now, Subramaniam had many moments of glory throughout his 14-year athletics career, which took off with wins in championships such as state meets and the Malay Mail Big Walk.
His first international outing came in 1977, at the SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur. There, he won gold in the 10km event and silver in the 20km event.
He qualified for the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games but had to give it a miss as Malaysia was supporting a global boycott in solidarity against the Soviet Union’s invasion of Afghanistan.
At the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games, he won the silver medal in the 20km walk and at the 1982 Games, he finished fourth.
He won two bronze medals from the Asian Track and Field championships in 1979 and 1981 and competed in the 1978 Edmonton Commonwealth Games where he finished 12th.
He was named National Sportsman of the Year in 1978 and Coach of the Year in 1996. He was also named Selangor Sportsman of the Year in 1978 and 1979.
Despite his many achievements, his happiest sporting moments were not during his own victories but in those of his athletes.
He recalled when one of them, Annatasia Karen Raj, qualified for the 1996 Olympics.
“After having missed the Moscow Olympics, just being in Atlanta was pure joy,” he said.
But despite having trained Annatasia to qualify for the Olympics, he was not named as her coach.
He went to Atlanta on his own, with assistance from the National Sports Council, Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur Athletics Association, and well-wishers who helped with his air ticket.
“I stayed at a friend’s house and continued to train Annatasia before the race,” he said.
“On race day, I was not allowed into the finishing area, but I barged in when she achieved a creditable finish.”
At 21, Annatasia became the first Malaysian woman walker to qualify for the Olympics. She finished 24th out of 46 competitors with a national record of 45:47.00 over 10km.
Other walkers whom Subramaniam nurtured include SEA Games gold medallists P Ravindran, R Morgan, Mohd Shahrulhaizy Abdul Rahman, Narinder Singh and Lo Choon Sieng, and 2015 SEA Games bronze medallist Khairul Harith Harun.
He said the saddest moment in his career was losing the gold to India’s Hakam Singh in the 20km race walk event at the 1978 Asiad in Bangkok.
He said Hakam ran past him close to the finishing line with both his knees bent, which is against the straightened leg rule.
The straight leg is an integral part of race walking and anyone who walks with a bent knee is considered to be running.
He protested, but the officials did nothing.
Neither did his team.
Until today, he keeps a photograph of Hakam running to the finish line.
“I was robbed of the gold medal,” he said.
But while Subramaniam is in a tough spot now, he still beams with joy when he talks about race walking.
“I have the satisfaction of having given my life to sports and making a mark as an athlete and coach,” he said.
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