ICON: TAN SRI DATUK M. JEGATHESAN
By Tony Mariadass
Pictures by Azneal Ishak
Extraordinaire Jega
Tan Sri Datuk Dr M Jegathesan’s
records will go down the annals as one of a kind of achievement both in sports
and medical field.
In fact, Jega, as he is
affectionately known in the sporting circles, has many firsts which will be
unmatched and to find another person like him could well be just a dream.
As Jega put it himself; “My
achievements is not by accident. It was preordained from my family tradition in
sports.”
Jega’s achievements and contributions
need be viewed in a rather unusual and unique manner because they cover two
separate and distinct areas of societal endeavour—medicine and sports in a
parallel fashion, and spans a seamless continuum of service, achievements and
awards both nationally and internationally, at the highest echelons.
This has now spanned over five
decades, and continues till today, beginning in 1955 - two years before the
independence of the nation.
This is further underscored by his
winning national awards in the two areas albeit 30 years apart, the national
sportsman of the year award for 1966 (the first national award awarded) and the
national science award in 1995.
Born in Kuala Kangsar in 1943, he
began primary education in Kuala Lumpur at Batu Road primary school from 1950
to 1954, before going to secondary school at Victoria Institution in 1955.
But the following year he moved to
Singapore where he studied at the Anglo Chinese School from 1956 to 1961.
He continued his studies at the
University of Singapore’s medical faculty from 1962 and graduated as a medical
doctor in 1967.
He began his career in the Ministry
of Health of Malaysia which spanned 32 years.
Having obtained post-graduate training in London and acquiring
qualifications in pathology and subsequently the fellowships of the Royal
Colleges of Pathology of the United Kingdom and of Australia in the
subspecialty of Medical Microbiology, his tenure with the Ministry saw him
holding posts such as the Head of the Division of Bacteriology at the institute
for Medical Research and the Head of
Laboratory Services at the General Hospital, Kuala Lumpur, culminating with the
appointment as the 21st Director of the Institute for Medical Research and next as
the Deputy Director General in the
Ministry of Health (Research and Technical Support)
During this period he conducted and
led research that resulted in personal publication of over 130 papers in
national and international journals, and 200 presentations at local and
international seminars and conferences encompassing in areas of medical microbiology,
infectious diseases and tropical medicine.
His findings and writings impacted on
the health and wellbeing of the population of this country in general and on
the practice of hospitals and laboratories in the service in particular. They
were also used by health policy makers in planning cost effective and relevant
preventive and control programs as well as doctors in their everyday care of
their patients.
His national contributions led him to
be recognised by the World Health Organisation and he has been drafted on many
occasions as consultant, adviser and expert panel member, one key position for
many years being that of rapporteur of the annual meetings of the WHO/World
Bank.
Apart from being an internationally
renowned athlete in the 1960’s, he dedicated his post competitive days to the
development of sports medicine and anti-doping in sports in this country, in a
voluntary capacity.
His legacy includes being the founder secretary
of the Malaysian Association of Sports Medicine in 1973, and the founder president
of the Malaysian Association of Doping Control in Sports. His work in this area gained international
recognition which has led him currently to be the Chairman of the Medical
committees of both the Olympic Council of Asia and the Commonwealth Games
Federation.
“I was 20 years younger than my last
of four other siblings – three brothers and a sister. My father (Vasagam) was a
national athlete and so were my two brothers (Harichandran and late Balakrishnan),
while my oldest brother (N.V. Singham) was the secretary of Brunei Athletics Association,”
Jega recalled his younger days.
“It was only natural that I tagged
along with my father and two brothers for their training and sporting
activities as I introduced to athletics at a very early age.”
N. M. Vasagam, a government
servant and a 440yd champion runner in the 1920s, was founder secretary
of Federation of Malaya Amateur Athletic Union in 1953 and the Federation of Malaya
Olympic Council in 1955.
Vasagam was the team manager of the Malayan Asian Games squad for the 1954 Asian Games in Manila where both Harichandran and Balakrishan were members of the contingent.
Vasagam was the team manager of the Malayan Asian Games squad for the 1954 Asian Games in Manila where both Harichandran and Balakrishan were members of the contingent.
With such a pedigree in the family it was little surprise that Jega followed the footsteps and was winning races from his schoolboy days.
Jega in 1960 at the tender age of 16, represented Malaya at the Rome Olympic. This was the first of the three Olympics and two Asian Games over the next years that he went on to represent the nation.
Asked how he managed to excel in both
sports and his education, he simply replied: “It’s all about time management.
“In fact it is two things which saw me
achieve what I achieved. Besides time management and it was my favourite word
‘No’. It is easier to say yes than no. No kept me out of distractions,
temptations and anything which would have lead me in the wrong path.”
It is little wonder that he had
several firsts’ and achieved remarkable feats:
# First Malaysian to win an Asian
Games gold medal (Jakarta 1962 - 200m)
# winning three gold medals (100m,
200m and 4 X 100m) at the next Asian Games in Bangkok including the coveted
title of ‘Fastest man in Asia’
#being the first Malaysian to enter
the semi-final stage of an Olympic event (Tokyo 1964 – 200m 20.9s) and repeated
in Mexico in 1968
# At the Kingston Commonweal Games in
1966, Jega became the first Malaysian to qualify for the final of the 220-yard
(now the 200 m) race.
#National record for 200m set
47-years ago in 1968 at the Mexico Olympics (20.92s) still stands
# 400metres record at 46.3secs stood
over four decades while his 100metres at 10.4 secs stood for nearly 30 years
before it was shattered.
# First Sportsman of the Year in 1966
# First Malaysian to become a member
of a committee of the IAAF, (Medical Committee 1985)
# First Malaysian to obtain the
MRCPath (UK) through examination process.
1974
Jega also has the honour of being
appointed as the deputy Chef De Mission for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics for
the Malaysian contingent and then in 2004 he was Chef De Mission for the Athens
Olympics.
He has been team
doctor for the 1975 World Cup hockey squad, 1972 Munich Olympic Games and many
other international events.
In fact to list all the achievements
Jega has under his belt in both his athletics and medical career would be near
impossible as there is a long list.
The bespectacled athlete who used to
wear dark glasses, when asked about he said it was branding.
“Actually two athletes at the Rome
Olympics were my idols and used them for my own branding. US’s Dave Sime who finished second to Arim
Hary in the 100m caught my eyes with his white socks, while Italy’s Livio
Berruti, the winner of 200m wore dark glasses.
“Since then I used dark glasses and
white socks which became my trademark.
“India’s Milkha Singh was another
idol. He was an Asian and his performance inspired me to excel and become like
him.”
Jega
also known as the “Flying Doctor” and Milka were once rivals in the 400 metres.
Jega ran against Milka in Rome in the heats and finished last while Milkha won
the race and went on to finish fourth in the final in which the first four
broke the Olympic record.
“As an athlete we all rituals which
we follow like from the way we get out of bed on the morning of race, the lucky
shorts or sock and many others. I had mine too.
“But it was all about gamesmanship
before a race when one prepares, sizes up his opponent, psyches to win and beat
the other competitors, and exudes confidence and it all about body language.
You an island before the race.
“After the race it is about
sportsmanship, being sporting in winning or losing, being modest, friendly and
humble.”
Jega said these principles saw him
excel and standout.
Jega married to Tan Lee Hong in 1969,
has three children – Ashelee, Shirene and Nick – who all reside in Australia.
He has six grandchildren.
Jega who turned 73 on Monday evening,
had a pleasant surprise when several close friends of him held a surprise
gathering at the Royal Selangor Club at Bukit Kiara.
Present were his fellow athletes at
the 1968 Asian Games Datuk Nashatar Singh and Karu Selvaratnam.
Others present were journalists Tony
Francis, George Das, R. Nadeswaran, Randhir Singh and the scribe, past
athletics officials, coaches and friends like Datuk V. Vaithilingam, N. A.
Baskaran, Rennie Martin, Datuk Peter Velappan, Datuk R. Yogeswarn, Datuk Dr
Ramlan Aziz, Datuk James Selvaraj, Datuk Low Beng Choo and Datuk Dr S. S. Cheema.
“I am speechless for the gesture
today. These are my friends who have in one way or other played a part in my
life. I am totally surprised,” said Jega who later spoke of each one present.
But it was those were present who
were grateful to be in the presence of a legend and knowing him as a friend.
“There will never be another” all
agreed at the end of the night.
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