Well, the Kuala Lipis-born athlete and fitness instructor proved he was true to his word, achieving a historic hat-trick of national records during the Pahang-level National Sports Day (Hari Sukan Negara) celebration in his hometown recently.
“I feel truly happy and satisfied, especially because this year’s Hari Sukan Negara was hosted in my hometown, Pahang. It’s been 12 years since I last won anything here, so this achievement feels very special and emotional for me,” Jey told FMT Lifestyle.
On Oct 10, Jey set the record for most number of leg extensions and the most number of squats, completing 3,000 repetitions of each exercise within three hours.
The following day, he achieved the record for most number of jumping jacks, again executing 3,000 repetitions in three hours.
All three record attempts were officially verified by representatives from the Malaysia Book of Records (MBR).
“I chose to break these records because I wanted to challenge myself and prove that nothing is impossible when you have the right mindset and consistency,” Jey, who holds an Honorary Doctorate in social work from Dayspring Theological University in the US, said.
“Each record represents a part of my journey: the pain, the sacrifices, and the discipline I’ve built over the years. I also wanted to make my hometown and community proud by achieving something meaningful on Hari Sukan Negara.”
A passionate fitness advocate of bodybuilding and weightlifting, Jey is a three-time Mr Pahang winner, a Mr Selangor champion and a Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) gold medalist.
He holds many fitness accolades, including the national record for longest non-stop cardio workout session.
Jey shared that training for the records has definitely not been easy. The athlete trained for months, balancing time between his daily responsibilities and intense endurance workouts.
Some days, he shared, he was pushed to complete exhaustion, to the point when he questioned if he could ever achieve his goals.
Determined, he focused on his recovery, nutrition, and mental strength to make sure his body could handle the 3,000 reps in each category.
According to him, the most challenging attempt was the jumping jacks.
“I had a minor back injury just one week before the attempt, so it made things even tougher. There was pain, but I didn’t give up.
“I kept reminding myself about why I started and stayed strong until the final rep. That moment tested not just my body, but my spirit too,” he said.
What kept him going, in the end, was reminding himself that he did not want to let down those who believed in him, and his mantra of “the pain will fade, but the record will stay forever”.
He added that he wanted to thank his family and his team for all their support. He also expressed his appreciation to Pahang sports exco Fadzli Kamal and Pahang youth and sports department director Azli Daud, for their continuous support for him and the youths of Pahang.
He said that while he felt immense gratitude for achieving his records, he was not one to rest on his laurels: he’s already planning his next record-breaking endeavour.
“I also want to focus on growing the Malaysian Indian Fitness Association (MIFIT) to create more opportunities for young athletes to shine and represent our community in fitness and sports,” he said.
“And yes — I’m already planning to set another world record before the end of this year. The journey continues!”