LESSON 3: STAY STRONG AND HEALTHY
It may seem somewhat obvious but my mentors reminded me of the importance of looking after our bodies.
Even in his 80s, Mr Kunalan still follows his exercise routine diligently. With a combination of free-hand exercises and walks every other day, he is in the pink of health even today.
Back in his athletics career, he had learnt a hard lesson about maintaining good health and he shared with me a regret he has until this day.
Before his appearance at the 1970 Asian Games in Bangkok, Mr Kunalan, then 28, was having some troubles with a heel spur, a bone growth on the heel.
When the gun went off for the 100m race, he lagged behind, preoccupied with thoughts of whether he should have taken the bandage off his heel.
He managed to catch up in the end, finishing third. Feeling confident, he charged forward in the 200m race, overestimating his abilities. In the first half, he led the pack and believed that the gold medal was within his grasp.
In the final stages, however, Mr Kunalan’s legs were overextended and he felt them “turning to stone”. His rivals caught up and he came away with another bronze medal, mere milliseconds behind the second-place getter.
“I was so disappointed that I told reporters I didn’t want to have anything more to do with athletics. That was a mistake. I had so many reasons for my performance but that was what I said to the newspapers,” he told CNA TODAY.
From that moment, Mr Kunalan did “absolutely nothing” in the athletics world for a couple of years, instead focusing on his students at Dunearn Secondary Technical School.
He nurtured the school’s track-and-field team and in 1973 and 1974, the boys’ team won the national championship in their division.
The two-year break allowed Mr Kunalan’s heel to heal. The 1973 SEA Games marked his return, when then-secretary general of the Singapore National Olympic Council, Mr SS Dhillon convinced him to be the final torchbearer in the opening ceremony.
Mr Kunalan was also pulled in to replace a runner for the 4x400m race, where he eventually won a silver medal.
I did not expect his regret over those 1970 races to weigh so heavily even until today. While I’m no runner, I realise that life is like a race – where the right mindset, decisions and preparations make all the difference.
In Ms Sharon’s case, her appreciation for strength training grew when she had trouble recovering from her first pregnancy. If she had known how much her body would change, the mother of two would have “trained like an athlete”, she said.
Before her second pregnancy, she turned to yoga and running and discovered that exercising made her stronger and helped her to recover quicker. Since then, she has prioritised strength training, mixing in gym sessions and various sporting activities such as Zumba and jogging.
The mental fortitude she developed in the gym has motivated and strengthened her in general.
“If I can leg press and hip thrust more than my weight, I’m convinced I can do hard things outside the gym,” Ms Sharon said.
This was all more food for thought as I contemplated my lifestyle. Turns out the gyms are not just for fitness junkies and weightlifters. Perhaps it is time to drag my lazy self to the gym so I am still healthy and sprightly at an old age.
