Krishnan, a powerful rival to greats like Dr Mani Jegathesan, died of lung infection yesterday at Penang General Hospital. He was 79.
He was the third member of Malaysia’s 4x400m relay team at the 1972 Munich Olympics to have died after S Sabapathy and Hassan Osman, leaving PLBS Peyadesa as the surviving quarter-miler.
His son Ganesh said: “He was an inspirational person on and off the track, a warm and outgoing personality who had a big interest in developing talent.”
Ganesh, a university lecturer, said his father had put much back into athletics, especially in training children under 12, after the end of his running career.
He did it all while working as a teacher, and even after he had retired as headmaster of SJK Tamil, Perai, Penang.
Krishnan had written in a Facebook post last year: “I am still around, thinking of further imparting my God-given knowledge to schoolchildren.
“It is not to make them Olympians, but to let them feel what athletics is, and to make them enjoy it as much as possible.”
He never failed to respond to FMT on stories about sporting giants, saying it was important to look back to the past to build the future.
Krishnan often spoke about athletes from his era who sought to find glory for themselves and the nation despite the lack of incentives.
Sadly, Krishnan, the motivator, missed out on a pat on the back from the King at the Sports Flame reunion of sporting legends in Kuala Lumpur on Dec 9 due to poor health.
Krishnan v Jega
No list of sprinting rivalries would be complete without a nod to Jegathesan (Jega) and Krishnan, who battled furiously at the height of the magnificence of Malaysian athletics.
Their match-ups had the billing to thrill, excite and shake up the best in Asia in the 100m, 200m and 400m events in the 1960s.
Jega, whose best timings were 10.3s (100m), 20.9s (200m) and 46.3s (400m), always got the better of six-footer Krishnan, whose fastest times were 10.5s, 21.3s and 47.8s in the respective events.
However, both teamed up in the 4×100 and 4×400 relays to destroy their opponents.
The other star 100m racers in the fray at that time were 10.5s-10.6s runners Guna Rajalingam, Ooi Hock Lim and Mohamed Ariffin Ahmat.
In their first international duel at the 1965 SEAP Games, Krishnan was soundly beaten by Jegathesan in the 100m, but both men, together with Rajalingam and Ariffin, set a games record of 41.4s in the 4x100m relay.
In 1966, after winning the bronze in the 200m at the Asian Games, Krishnan helped Malaysia win gold in the 4x100m relay in a record time of 40.6s, just 1.2s off the world mark held by the US.
Krishnan was the second runner in the formidable team that saw Ariffin at the starting blocks, and Rajalingam handing over the baton to the anchor runner, Jegathesan.
In a later interview, Ariffin recalled how he was preparing to take off when he heard their American coach Bill Miller yelling “bikin semangat” (show spirit).
Ariffin, a strong curve runner, said he ran the race of his life.
Malaysia was on lane three, and by the time he passed the baton to Krishnan, he had pulled level with the runners ahead of him.
Ariffin said when Krishnan took off, he knew Malaysia had won the race as he was already in the lead, and had an electrifying finish.
At the 1968 Mexico Olympics, the Malaysian quartet of Krishnan, Rajalingam, Hock Lim and Jegathesan etched their names in history by reaching the semi-finals.
They finished eighth (40.8s) in semi-final one, which Jamaica won in a world record time of 38.3s, with all the other countries clocking sub-40s.
Upon Jegathesan’s retirement after the Mexico Olympics, the Malaysian 4×100 quartet saw new blood, with Zainuddin Wahab and Abdul Wahid Annuar joining Krishnan and Rajalingam.
This new squad took gold in 41.1s at the 1969 SEAP Games, leaving the Thais, powered by the Ariyamongkol twins in their wake.
Krishnan’s bronze in the 400m at the Asian Games a year later was to set him up for the elusive SEAP Games individual gold medal in the event.
On home turf in 1971, he charged to a new SEAP Games record of 47.8s in the one-lap race, and later took silver behind Anat Ratanapol in the 200m.
His 400m mark stood for 11 years until it was broken by Isidro del Prado of the Philippines.
For the 1972 Olympics, teacher Krishnan trained in the US and Germany with his relay mates, Prisons officers Peyadesa and Hassan, and National Electricity Board employee Sabapathy.
In Munich, pitted against runners from Europe and Jamaica, they finished sixth in the heats, clocking 3:13.51s.
Both Krishnan and Sabapathy were later selected to represent Asia against Europe in a series of relay races, a credit to their calibre, and pride to Malaysia.
Krishnan quit competitive athletics the following year and concentrated on his teaching career.
Footballer to speedster
Football was Krishnan’s first love, but physical education lecturer Wong Choong Sing encouraged him to switch to track after spotting his running ability.
In 1965, Krishnan joined Day Teachers Training College, Kuala Lumpur, and played as a winger, sometimes as goalkeeper, for the Selangor Indian Association and Tamilian Physical Cultural Association.
Sports administration guru A Vaithilingam recalled meeting Krishnan when he, together with some 40 trainees from the college, attended the Selangor Amateur Athletics Association’s first technical officials course.
He said Wong, a recognised athletics coach, sent them for the weekend course, and subsequently helped groom them to serve in various states as qualified officials.
Wong trained Krishnan and another 400m runner, P Rengan, to excel at local meets before they became international athletes.
Vaithilingam said after Krishnan hung up his spikes, he spent much time as a Malaysian Amateur Athletics Union coach, and helped the Penang State Sports Council and National Sports Council with their coaching programmes.
Vaithilingam said Krishnan was bestowed the title of Datuk by the Penang government, and received many more accolades for his services to athletics.
Krishnan is survived by his wife V Saroja, daughter Geetha and son Ganesh.
The last rites for Krishnan will be held today at 11am at 37, Lorong Indah, Taman Bukit Indah in Bukit Mertajam, Penang, before cremation at the Berapit Chinese cemetery.