C Kunalan

C Kunalan

Inaugural Excellence Sports Award For Sports Person

Kunalan, Singapore’s legend of track and winner of 20 medals – 4 Gold, 9 Silver & 7 Bronze.

He won the 100m and the 200m events in 1969 Games which was held in Burma
(now Myanmar). A year earlier at the 1968 _ Olympics held in Mexico he clocked 10.38s in the 100m sprint, in the quarter final, a national record which stood for more than three decades until it was broken in 2001 by U K Shyam.

Born on 23 October 1942, he was a sprinter, relay runner, football player and educationist. He’s considered as one of the greatest Sports personalities of Singapore. He was the face of Singapore’s sports in the formative years of the Republic’s independence. He was named Sportsman of the Year consecutively in 1968 and 1969.

He switched from his favourite football to athletics in 1963 when his PE lecturer, Dr Tan Eng Yoon, encouraged him after observing his fast moving legs. In 1964, while Singapore was part of Malaysia, he participated in the Malaysian 4X100m relay with fellow Malaysian ace-runner Mani Jegathesan at the Summer Olympics.

MEDAL TALLY IN THE VARIOUS GAMES:

1. TOTAL 20 medals – 4 Gold 9 Silver 7 Bronze
2. Gold Men 100m 10.5 – 1969 Rangoon (SEAP Games)
3. Gold Men 200m 21.3 – 1969 Rangoon (SEAP Games)
4. Gold Men 4x400m 3:15.4 – 1969 Rangoon (SEAP Games)
5. Gold Men 4x400m 3:13.11 – 1975 Bangkok (SEAP Games)
6. Silver Men 100m 10.6 -1967 Bangkok (SEAP Games)
7. Silver Men 200m 21.8 – 1967 Bangkok (SEAP Games)
8. Silver Men 4x100m 41.3 – 1967 Bangkok (SEAP Games)
9. Silver Men 4x400m 3:11.3 – 1973 Singapore (SEAP Games)
10. Silver Men 4x100m 41.22 – 1975 Bangkok (SEAP Games)
11. Silver Men 4x200m 1:25.9 – 1975 Bangkok (SEAP Games)
12. Silver Men 4x100m 41.42 – 1977 Kuala Lumpur (SEA Games)
13. Silver Men 4x100m 41.5 – 1965 Kuala Lumpur (SEAP Games)
14. Bronze Men 4x400m 3:20.5 – 1967 Bangkok (SEAP Games)
15. Bronze Men 4x100m 41.4 – 1969 Rangoon (SEAP Games)
16. Bronze Men 100m 10.91 – 1977 Kuala Lumpur (SEA Games)
17. Silver Men 100m 10.5 — 1966 Bangkok (Asian Games)
18. Bronze Men 4 x 400m — 1966 Bangkok (Asian Games)
19. Bronze Men 100m — 1970 (Asian Games)
20. Bronze Men 200m — 1970 (Asian Games)
21. Bronze Men 4 x 100m 1974 (Asian Games)

Family – Wife: Chong Yoong Yin. Daughters: Soma, 53, Mona, 48, and Gina, 46, Grandchildren: Jasmine Skye Macleod, 23 and Amber India Macleod Jamie Thomsett,7.

His daughter Mona took to the track, (National Schools sprints champion in ‘C “B” and “A” Divisions over the years, ASEAN Schools Gold 200m in 1990). She was selected to play National Football and Hockey and Athletics, but a football injury stopped her sports participation. She was a secondary school teacher for 8 years and is now a Personal Trainer.

Soma and Gina, although very talented in sports, found other interests and didn’t pursue Athletics to higher levels.