Samson: There is no one to bank on over two laps

Happy family: (From right) Samson, his daughter Shereen and wife Josephine have all represented Malaysia in athletics.

KUALA LUMPUR: Samson Vallabouy was just 23 when he broke the men’s 800m SEA Games record, clocking 1:48.29 at the Merdeka Stadium in 1989.And the Perak-born athlete’s record still stands after 31 years – the oldest record in men’s athletics in the biennial Games. Amazingly, Samson was not even a full-time athlete when he set the mark. He was working with Public Bank from 1985-1995.

“I used to train after work at the Merdeka Stadium. During the 80s and 90s, there were lots of competitions like the inter-banks meet, the Public Services Games and states Open meets.