KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia has lost another sports icon following the passing of national cycling legend Saharudin Jaffar, who breathed his last at the age of 84 Tuesday afternoon.
The late athlete’s eldest son, Suhaimi Saharudin, 55, confirmed the sad news when contacted by Bernama, informing that his father suffered complications while undergoing dialysis treatment earlier this morning.
"My father went for dialysis treatment as usual around 9 or 10am, but when he arrived there, he appeared to have collapsed. The nurse immediately called an ambulance and rushed him to Shah Alam Hospital.
"When they arrived, the doctors said my father’s heart had stopped, and when they tried to use a respirator, nothing worked to revive him. He passed away around 2:17pm," he said.
Suhaimi admitted that the passing of his father, who made history as the first gold medalist at the 1965 Southeast Asian Peninsular (SEAP) Games, had a deep impact, especially since Thursday (March 20) would have marked the 58th wedding anniversary of his parents.
"My mother, Hasmah Ibrahim, is now 81 years old. Despite his age, my father would still fast, exercise, and enjoy gardening. However, the issue with dialysis is that if he gets too thirsty, it's not good for the kidneys," he said.
The late Saharudin’s body will be prayed over at the Surau Seksyen 8 Shah Alam before being buried at the Islamic Cemetery Section 21 Shah Alam on Thursday. - Bernama
