From gold to grief for golden race walker Saravanan

Free Malaysia Today

The heroic strides of the champion have been halted by the deadly motor neurone disease. He needs help for treatment.   To contribute, bank your donation to Yayasan Pemerkasaan Pendidikan dan Kemahiran, Maybank Islamic account (5622 0962 7619) with the reference Saravanan Aid.  Read More: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/highlight/2025/04/16/from-gold-to-grief-for-golden-race-walker-saravanan/   Laporan Lanjut:  Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5 Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTLifestyle #GSaravanan #GoldMedallist #MotorNeuroneDisease #FormerAthlete

Transcript

00:00Once a symbol of national sporting strength, golden race walker G. Saravanan can barely

00:09stand now. The 1998 Commonwealth Games 50km gold medalist and SEA Games hero is battling

00:16a formidable foe, motor neuron disease, a rare condition that leads to progressive muscle

00:23weakness and the loss of physical function. Saravanan, 55 next month, received the shattering

00:31diagnosis in 2021 and was told that his life expectancy would unlikely stretch beyond five

00:38years. He had sought treatment after experiencing slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, and frequent

00:45cramps in his right foot. He was quickly robbed of his strength, mobility, and clarity.

00:53He now stands abandoned by his system unable to fully support athletes in crisis and urgently

00:59needs public support for mounting medical expenses including treatment, medication, therapy, and

01:05related necessities. Though Saravanan's mind remains sharp, he struggles to speak, often

01:12relying on a sudden widening of the eyes to show he understands while his attempts at words

01:17emerge as garbled whispers.

01:21Saravanan believes years of intense training may have increased his risk of developing MND.

01:27He now laments pushing his body so hard in an era when athletes had no access to sports

01:31science, nutritional guidance, psychological support, or proper rehabilitation.

01:38However, Saravanan said he has had a wonderful life and was determined to make the most of the

01:44time he has left. The plight of athletes like Saravanan exposes the deep gaps in an underfunded

01:50welfare system, leaving national heroes to fend for themselves.

01:55To contribute, bank your donation to Yayasan Pramakasa'an Pindidikan dan Kemahiran Maybank

02:01account with a reference Saravanan aid.

02:05Dhanish Rajariza, FMT.

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