Kumaresan inducted

20/08/2003

CYCLIST M. Kumaresan and hurdler Nur Herman Majid were yesterday inducted
into the SportExcel Hall of Fame at the Royal Selangor Club in Kuala
Lumpur.
Last year, squash darling Nicol David, Ong Beng Hee and Shalin Zulkifli
were recognised for their efforts.
This year Kumaresan (cycling) and Nur Herman (athletics), two athletes
who are no longer active, are being recognised. "The SportExcel Hall of
Fame is restricted to those athletes who have been in receipt of
SportExcel funding and who have consistently achieved excellence at Asian
or World level while being good role models," said SportExcel president
Tunku Imran Tuanku Ja'afar after welcoming the duo to the Hall of Fame.
"SportExcel is by any yardstick, a young organisation, but we have been
able to maintain a high profile in Malaysian sport through our junior
circuits and other activities.
"At the same time, we have also remained totally relevant to Malaysian
sport by carving a niche in the area of junior development. To date,
thousands of young juniors have benefited by competing on our circuits.
"As at the end of 2002, SportExcel had provided assistance to 82
athletes, some of whom had achieved excellence at the Asian and world
levels.
"Cricketer Arul Suppiah and Beng Hee are well on their way to achieving
their dream of becoming professionals in their field," said Tunku Imran.
Tunku Imran said SportExcel is proud to be able to play a part nurturing
Malaysian juniors: "It is truly our joy and vision to assist every
talented junior to realise his or her dream."
SportExcel is now looking towards Sabah and Sarawak.
"We will re-think our strategies, as one of our goals is to play a
bigger part in the development of juniors in Sabah and Sarawak. This will
be done with the co-operation of national associations and in respect of
our circuits.
"We believe that there is a huge reservoir of junior talent in Sabah and
Sarawak that has not been systematically tapped," concluded Tunku Imran.
Kumaresan, a household name in cycling, started his quest to represent
Malaysia at the age of 10, and received the country's highest sports award
when voted Sportsman of The Year in 1987.
"Some might say that at 10, one does not have an ambition yet. But for
me, I had a burning desire to represent the country from that age, and
tried my hand at numerous sports.
"But in the end, I found my niche in cycling and it has given me great
joy over the years by winning medals for the country," said Kumaresan.
The veteran cyclist has a collection of 19 medals, with nine golds from
the Sea Games and three silvers and one bronze from the Asian meet.
Nur Herman, synonymous with 110m hurdles, ruled the lanes from 1990 to
2001. He was the undisputed champion in six consecutive Sea Games starting
from 1991 in Manila till his farewell in the 2001 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games.
He not only won gold in KL, but silenced his critics by clocking 14.02s,
a Sea Games record. His personal best of 13.73s, which won him bronze in
the 1994 Hiroshima Asian Games, is still the current national record.
(END)