KUALA LUMPUR: It was a nostalgic moment for former Olympian Datuk Dr M. Jegathesan at the presentation of Power and Bata shoes to athletes gearing up for the Beijing Games.
“My first pair of running shoes was a Bata. It cost only RM1.99 but that was a long time ago,” recalled Jegathesan, who is now the deputy president of the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM). Today, I am happy that Bata and the OCM have remained as partners.”
Jegathesan, dubbed the Flying Doctor during his heyday, had featured in two Olympic Games in the sprint event.
In fact, the 20.92 he clocked in the 200m at the Mexico Games is still a national record.
With his wealth of experience, he took the opportunity yesterday to provide advice and fan the fire among the Olympic-bound athletes to strive for excellence.
“I wish all our ambassadors the best. More than 25 million people are banking on them to win honours at the Games. It will be great if they can win the country’s first gold,” he said.
“But it is all right if they cannot win a medal. It will be an achievement if they can set personal bests. And that should be their goal.”
Yesterday, Jegathesan received the goods on behalf of the Malaysian contingent for the Games from the senior marketing manager, Bata (marketing) Sdn Bhd, Datuk James Selvaraj at the OCM Muzium.
Also present were National Sports Council (NSC) director general Datuk Zolkples Embong and the OCM secretary Datuk Sieh Kok Chi.
The athletes will be wearing specially designed Power sports shoes during the Games and the leather shoes during the march past.
The Star
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