LETTERS: FORM is temporary but class is permanent.
There are Malaysian and international personalities who are in a class of their own.
In Malaysian athletics, there is no one to fill the shoes of the charismatic Tan Sri Dr M. Jegathesan.
Jegathesan, nicknamed "The Flying Doctor", represented Malaysia in three Olympic Games from 1962 to 1968.
Motivated by passion, pride and glory for the nation, he qualified for two 200m semifinals.
I remember seeing in the newspapers, when I was 12 years old, the photo-finish picture of Jegathesan pipping C. Kunalan of Singapore to the tape in the 100m finals at the Asian Games in Bangkok in 1966.
Jegathesan not only did well on the tracks, but also in the academic field. He was one of the rare few who were all-rounders. The other sportsman that I can safely say reached such heights is Dr Alex Delikan, the former national cricketer, who bowled Sir Garfield Sobers for a duck in an invitational match.
Jegathesan has always been an inspiration to sports-loving Malaysians.
Welcome to the octogenarian club Tan Sri, and may your youthful looks and physique be with you for many many years to come
Thiagarajan Mathiaparanam
Klang, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times