KUALA LUMPUR: A sombre mood enveloped the national Paralympic arena after the shocking news of the passing of former Paralympic archer Major Yuhaizam Yahya yesterday. He was 53.
The sad news of the former Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) pilot, who survived a crash 20 years ago, was confirmed by his younger brother, Mohd Shahrizal.
Shahrizal said that his brother, who had represented the country at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, passed away at the Taiping Hospital in Perak at 10.40pm on Sunday after his admission the same day.
“His passing was a shock to everyone, especially to us his family. My brother leaves behind a widow and four children,” he said, without revealing the cause of death.
The funeral rites were held at the Bukit Jana Jamek Mosque in Kamunting, Perak before his body was laid to rest at the Changkat Larah & Batu 6 Muslim Cemetery in Kamunting at 11am yesterday.
Yuhaizam survived a Sikorsky Nuri helicopter crash in Butterworth in 2004 that claimed the lives of two of his close friends.
Yuhaizam suffered spinal injuries and was confined to a wheelchair after the horrific accident.
Apart from competing in the Paralympics, Yuhaizam’s also had gold medal in the individual event at the 2011 Asean Para Games in Solo, Indonesia before repeating the feat at the 2015 edition in Singapore. — Bernama
