The 57-year-old, together with five other world-class solo climbers and accompanied by five sherpas (mountain guides), conquered the 8,611m K2 at 10.50am local time on Friday.

Ravichandran, who described his love for the country as the fuel that drove him on during the climb, said his success was his gift to Malaysia in conjunction with the upcoming Aug 31 National Day celebration.

“Love for the country, living in peace and harmony — these are the keys to unity instilled in me that proved to be a source of strength for me in facing the difficulties throughout the climb.

“Thanks also to my wife … you are the pillar of strength to my success. Not forgetting the prayers of family, friends, sponsors and Malaysians that inspired me to reach the summit,” he said in a WhatsApp message today.

Ravichandran also said that being an OKU was not a hindrance to him.

Instead, it proved that even a disabled person could become strong and be on a par with able-bodied persons.

“It is not impossible to rise again after falling.

“That’s the experience I gained from my climb on this expedition. This is my gift to the people of Malaysia. Merdeka!”

Editor’s note: T Ravichandran lost eight fingers to frostbite when scaling Mount Everest for the second time.