PASIR GUDANG: A remarkable bond has developed between Chok Kong Yu, a dedicated lecturer and karate coach, and his student V. Yilamaran, a deaf athlete.
Chok’s unwavering support has been instrumental in helping Yilamaran achieve success.
Chok, 51, who works in Politeknik Ibrahim Sultan (PIS), first met Yilamaran, 24, in 2022 through a friend at the Johor Sports Deaf Association.
“At the time, Yilamaran was working as a factory operator and struggling to balance his karate training. He was wasting his talent and I wanted him to do better with his life,” he said during the PIS convocation ceremony held here yesterday.
Recognising Yilamaran’s talent, Chok encouraged him to pursue his education and training at the polytechnic, which has a strong sports programme.
“I met his family and found that they were facing financial hardship and were unable to pay his school fees,” Chok said.
Despite not being well-off, Chok offered to pay Yilamaran’s fees and bought him a laptop to enable him to continue his education and training.
Chok also learned some sign language to communicate better with his deaf karate athletes.
According to Chok, Yilamaran’s dedication to karate has been exceptional. He represented Malaysia two years ago in the Deaflympics in Brazil and won a silver medal.
“Yilamaran never complains about having to train three days a week. If he is not training, he will focus on his studies and watch cartoons on his mobile phone,” he added.
Chok was overjoyed to see Yilamaran graduate with a graphic design certificate during the PIS convocation ceremony.
Yilamaran was one of 1,027 PIS students who graduated, with the ceremony officiated by state education and information committee chairman Aznan Tamin.
In his speech, Aznan congratulated the students for their hard work and thanked their parents and guardians for their support. He also acknowledged the significant role played by PIS lecturers in shaping the students’ future.
