The same legs that once moved with the grace of a champion now betray him.
The 1998 Commonwealth Games 50km gold medallist and SEA Games hero is battling a formidable foe: motor neurone disease (MND).
This rare neurodegenerative condition affects nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
It leads to progressive muscle weakness and a loss of physical function.
There is no cure for this disease.
Football legend Mokhtar Dahari battled MND for three years before he died at the age of 39 in 1991.
Saravanan, 55 next month, received the shattering diagnosis in 2021 while he was a coach for junior walkers in Penang.
He sought treatment after his speech slurred, experienced difficulty in swallowing food, and agonised with frequent cramps in the right foot at night.
The prognosis was heart-wrenching.
He was told his life expectancy would be unlikely to stretch beyond five years.
Saravanan was quickly robbed of his strength, mobility and clarity.
His muscles are wasting away, his once powerful legs have given way, and his once commanding voice has slurred.
In 2020, he weighed 79kg. Today, he’s down to 53kg.
It is a cruel irony for a man celebrated for his endurance and precision.
The physical decline is only part of the tragedy.
Saravanan’s emotional struggle is excruciating as he grapples with a battle he cannot win.
Despite national adoration for his past, he now stands abandoned by a system unable to fully support athletes in crisis.
Beyond thoughts and prayers, Saravanan urgently needs public support for mounting medical expenses including treatment, medication, therapy and related necessities.
A hero’s quiet despair
Saravanan’s mind functions well but he has difficulty speaking.
The interview with the man was emotionally charged.
A sudden widening of the eyes sometimes conveyed his grasp of the conversation.
Occasionally, his attempt at a sentence emerged as a garbled whisper.
His wife, M Sassikala, was with us in the interview, mothering him and elaborating what he said.
For the photo session, he laboured to his feet to walk in short, shuffling steps, with a walking aid and Sassikala’s arms around him.
Still, you fear for him because his gait is forward-leaning, and you think he is about to fall.
But he doesn’t and in confounding you, he turns and grins.
It got sadder as Sassikala, 53, related the diagnosis, prognosis and a family’s desperation.
She said after the first diagnosis, the doctor at Seberang Jaya hospital in Penang told her family that there was no cure for MND and life expectancy was between two and five years.
Saravanan then sought homeopathy, allopathy and ayurveda treatments in Kerala, India, to slow down the nerve and cell deterioration rate.
“We ran out of money after spending RM100,000 for the treatments and have struggled to continue his care locally.
“This is my husband’s fifth year with MND and he needs treatment such as maintenance physiotherapy to prevent further deterioration of his condition,” said Sassikala.
Saravanan thinks he had an increased risk of developing MND due to intense workouts.
“I feel angry with myself for over-exerting during my race walking days,” he lamented.
He said in his prime he walked over 5,000km a year, and sometimes covered 55km a day in preparation for competitions.
Athletes during his era did not enjoy the benefits of sports science, had no nutritional knowledge and lacked psychological support, he recalled.
When injuries did occur, rehabilitation often relied on less scientific methods, potentially leading to delayed recovery or a higher risk of re-injury.
Saravanan’s dazzling days
We became nostalgic when I asked Saravanan which race he would watch again if he could relive only one.
“Sukom ’98. It was one of the sweetest moments of my life,” he offered.
The nation watched in awe as his nimble strides carried him across the finishing line in the inaugural 50km road walk at the 1998 Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur.
His radiant smile after clinching the gold medal, with Sassikala carrying their first child, Prasad, in her arms, by his side, captured the hearts of the nation.
Saravanan beamed proudly as he showed us two video clips of the race on his mobile phone.
One was a full-blown portrayal of a supreme athlete racing 19 laps around Lake Titiwangsa under the blazing sun with relentless spirit and unyielding resolve.
The other was of the race leader, Craig Barret of New Zealand, collapsing from dehydration one kilometre from the finishing line.
His national record in 50km has remained unchallenged for 26 years, and he’s the only Malaysian athlete to win gold in Commonwealth Games athletics.
In 2013, Saravanan donated his medal and his sporting vest, shorts and racing bib number 1499 to the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s sports museum.
The former Royal Malaysian Air Force weapons technician, later a bank employee and businessman, has also won the 10km, 20km and 50km in major championships like the SEA Games.
He began competitive race walking in 1985 and retired at the age of 31.
Between 2001 and 2009, he coached Perak junior walkers to nine Malaysia Games (Sukma) gold medals.
And now this: an uphill race where the finishing line seems perilously out of reach.
A cry for compassion
Saravanan said he has had a wonderful life, and was determined to make the most of the time he has left.
He sees the moment as it is and finds meaning in it.
For spirit-broken Saravanan, his only solace is the love of his family.
He tells daily to his wife and their three children that he loves them.
“But I never know how far I am from telling them that for the last time,” Saravanan said, his eyes welling up with tears.
His son Prasad, 27, is an information technology executive while his two daughters, Lavannea, 25, and Manishah, 19, are both students.
In a text message after the interview, he said he was initially hesitant to proceed with public fundraising.
That was because he believed healthcare support for athletes who brought glory to the nation should be a government obligation.
“However, recognising the urgency of my condition and the limitations of existing support systems, I am grateful for this opportunity to seek assistance from compassionate individuals and organisations willing to contribute,” he said.
The plight of athletes like Saravanan reveals gaps in a welfare system that is underfunded, leaving sporting heroes abandoned in their hour of need.
The limited funds available through the national athletes welfare foundation (Yakeb) are glaringly insufficient to cover the overwhelming costs of treatment, medication, and therapy that chronic conditions like MND demand.
The harsh reality is that athletes who have brought immense pride to the nation are left to fend for themselves when serious illnesses strike.
Prasad, the sole provider of a family once buoyed by hope, now struggles under the weight of his father’s deteriorating health.
Sassikala gave up her job to become her husband’s full-time carer.
When legends suffer, the nation must rise to their aid.
It is our moral duty to cherish, support, and honour those who have given us so much.
For Saravanan, it’s now a race against time, a race unfinished.
To contribute, bank your donation to Yayasan Pemerkasaan Pendidikan dan Kemahiran, Maybank Islamic account (5622 0962 7619) with the reference Saravanan Aid.. The foundation is run by former Yakeb chairman Noorul Ariffin Abdul Majeed.