SEREMBAN: Veteran athletics official Sasitharan Vellappan, 57, retired on May 31 after 32 years of teaching in primary schools in Negri Sembilan.
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SEREMBAN: Veteran athletics official Sasitharan Vellappan, 57, retired on May 31 after 32 years of teaching in primary schools in Negri Sembilan.
He taught English, Physical & Health Education, and Moral Studies.
Married to K. Prema, Sasitharan has four children -- Kamal Nishaan Raaj, Sharmin Nishaa, Niroshneshaal and Kaishyen. Sasitharan was born in Seremban in 1957.
His 27-year athletics career commenced when Sasitharan qualified as a Grade 3 Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union (MAAU) official in 1987 and Grade 1 MAAU/International Amateur Athletics Federation (IAAF) in 1996.
Sasitharan had officiated in the 1989 and 2001 Sea Games in Kuala Lumpur, the Asian Track and Field Championships in 1991 at Merdeka Stadium, the 16th Commonwealth Games in 1998 as well as the Asian Youth Para Games and Asean Schools Athletics meets.
He was actively involved in organising the South Seremban Schools Sports Council meet as its technical chairman from 2000 to 2005.
Sasitharan was delighted last year his former Physical Education (PE) pupil in SK King George, Muhammad Irfan Shamsuddin remembered him when they met at the Malaysian Open last year.
Irfan broke the national men's discus record with a 54.26m hurl and won a silver medal in the shot put at 17th Malaysia Games in Kangar on June 1.
On his post retirement plans, Sasitharan said: "I plan to rest for a while after 37 years of teaching. However, I wish to help my final school SK Pantai in whatever way I can.
"Being a technical official I hope to continue serving athletics." By S. Solomon Samuel
