Ishtiaq pernah jadi kebanggaan Asia

ISHTIAQ sempat meluangkan masanya berbual mesra bersama atlet pelapis negara sebelum sesi latihan dimulakan di trek Majlis Sukan Negara, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, baru-baru ini.

NAMA Ishtiaq Mubarak sudah tidak asing lagi bagi peminat sukan olahraga tanahair, tambahan pula jaguh negara itu adalah antara bintang yang jarang diperoleh negara berikutan kejayaan gemilang yang pernah dilakar dalam acara 110 meter lari berpagar.

Beliau merupakan anak watan yang berjaya melangkah ke Sukan Olimpik sebanyak tiga kali iaitu pada 1968 di Mexico, 1972 di Munich dan yang paling manis adalah pada 1976 di Montreal.

Pada Temasya Olimpik 1976 itu Ishtiaq berjaya mara ke peringkat separuh akhir acara 110m lari berpagar iaitu peringkat paling tinggi buatnya. Malah sehingga kini masih belum ada lagi atlet olahraga tempatan yang mampu menyaingi pencapaian tersebut.

Bagaimanapun, sebelum melakar kejayaan tersebut, Ishtiaq telah melalui pelbagai cabaran yang cukup getir buatnya sebagai atlet olahraga.

Enam tahun sebelum ke Olimpik Montreal 1976, Ishtiaq terlibat dalam kemalangan sewaktu dalam perjalanan dari Seremban ke Kuala Lumpur yang mengakibatkan pemandu kenderaan yang dinaikinya terbunuh, manakala dia pula cedera parah.

Doktor yang merawat Ishtiaq memberitahunya bahawa dia perlu melupakan karier sebagai atlet berikutan kecederaan serius pada tulang pinggul dan rahang muka akibat kemalangan itu.

Keadaan yang dialami Ishtiaq itu sudah cukup membuatnya hampir berputus asa, namun semangat sebagai seorang atlet yang ada dalam tubuhnya membuatkan Ishtiaq kembali bangkit untuk mencabar keupayaannya ketika itu.

Pada tahun 1971 Ishtiaq kembali beraksi dalam Sukan SEA di Kuala Lumpur dan berbekalkan semangat juang tinggi dia berjaya memperoleh pingat emas.

Selepas itu, langkahnya semakin pantas dan keinginannya juga semakin tinggi iaitu ingin menawan Olimpik pada tahun 1972 selepas kecundang pada 1968.

Bagaimanapun, faktor kecederaan menjadi penghalang utama Ishtiaq selepas melangkah kaki ke Olimpik Munich 1972.

''Saya amat kecewa ketika itu kerana jika tidak mengalami kecederaan sudah tentu saya mampu menyumbang sesuatu buat negara.

''Namun itu tidak berakhir dengan kegagalan kerana selepas itu saya mula mengumpul pengalaman yang ada untuk dijadikan sebagai rujukan pada masa akan datang.

''Malah, saya juga sempat menjalani latihan di Jerman sebelum ke Olimpik Montreal 1976 bersama dengan seorang jurulatih kebangsaan yang juga warga Jerman.

''Banyak yang saya belajar antaranya catatan masa saya juga dapat diperbaiki selain berupaya mengawal teknik-teknik semasa lompatan dan larian,'' kata Ishtiaq.

Peluang latihan di Jerman dapat dimanfaatkan dengan baik oleh Ishtiaq apabila berjaya mara ke saingan separuh akhir yang ketika itu dikuasai oleh jaguh dunia dari Amerika Syarikat.

Ishtiaq berupaya mencatat 14.27 saat dalam saringan kedua untuk layak ke separuh akhir, namun ketika pertandingan, dia mencatat 14.21s dan tersingkir.

Kecemerlangan itu membolehkan Ishtiaq dipilih untuk mewakili benua Asia dalam Kejohanan Piala Dunia pertama yang berlangsung di Jerman pada 1977.

Pada kejohanan tersebut Ishtiaq sekadar memperoleh tempat keenam dalam acara 110m lari berpagar.
Kini Ishtiaq yang telah mencecah usia 63 tahun, hanya mampu berkongsi pengalaman dan kemahiran yang ada sebagai jurulatih kepada atlet pelapis dalam acara 110m lari berpagar.

Kepada atlet olahraga yang sedia ada kini, Ishtiaq ada pesanan yang mahu disampaikan.
''Atlet yang sedia ada kini mempunyai semangat serta kualiti yang tinggi dan janganlah sia-siakan masa depan karier anda sebagai atlet olahraga kerana sumbangan anda kepada negara akan terus diingat oleh negara ini.
''Saya tetap berkeyakinan akan ada atlet olahraga mampu mencapai tahap yang saya perolehi di Olimpik Montreal.

''Selagi saya masih berkemampuan untuk melatih, saya akan terus berjuang bagi memastikan akan ada bintang-bintang baru yang mampu bersinar dan yang penting fokus pada apa yang dilakukan,'' jelas Ishtiaq.

Prof. Dr. Helmut Digel (GER)

Date of birth	6 January 1944
Nationality	German
Civil status	Married - 1 child
Languages	German, English

ProfessionDirector of the Institute of Sports Science
Position held within the IAAF IAAF Vice President since 2001 IAAF Council Member since 1995 Vice Chairman of the IAAF Marketing/Promotion Commission Member of the IAAF Development Commission
Position held in National Federation Honorary President of DLV 1993-2001 President DLV (German Athletic Federation) 1994-date Vice-President of the German Olympic Committe
Active sports career:
Former First League Olympic Handball player Former Coach of an Olympic Handball Team
Past and present offices held
Professor of Sports Sciences at the Universities of Frankfurt and Tübingen and since 1985 at the University of Darmstadt. Head of the Scientific Council of the German Sports Federation (Deutscher Sportbund) Member of the Presidency of the German Sports Federation Member of the board of the Federal Institute of Sports Science (Cologne) Advisor to the government of Germany in its international co-operation policy on sport Author on sports systems & development in the following countries: Ecuador, Indonesia, Madagascar, Malaysia, Nigeria, Peru, Venezuela Helmut Digel, who guided the German Athletics Federation through the difficult early period of reunification, is now focussing on his work in the IAAF Council, specifically in the area of marketing and promotion How did you become involved in athletics? When I was a child, taking part in athletics competitions was a matter of course. High jump, shot put, long jump and sprint fascinated any kid in sport clubs. I myself participated in my regional championships. Later, however, I decided to play handball in the national league. But even then, I continued to compete in athletics.  What do you personally gain from athletics? Training and competition were of utmost importance to me for finding my identity. Doing exercise in a group, competing against others, showing what one is capable of, these are still very important aspects of pedagogy. Is there an athlete or a moment in particular that inspired you? For me personally, outstanding athletes were Manfred Germar, Martin Lauer, and Armin Hary. Willi Holdorf was an idol too after winning an Olympic gold medal in decathlon. Have you ever been involved in sport in a different way - as a coach or official for example? Since my early childhood, sport has been the most important part of my life. Besides athletics, I played table tennis in a regional league, later I was coach and I worked on an honorary basis in sporting bodies. You have one child. Is he or she active in the sports world? No question, also my son has focused on physical education in school. He is interested in badminton, but also in athletics he is quite strong. Tell us more about your career outside of the IAAF (Director of an Institute of Sports Science)… I studied the German language, cultural sciences, sociology, and sports science. Thus, I tried to build my professional career in sport. After my PhD I worked at many universities in the world and soon I was engaged as professor at the University of Frankfurt. From there, my way led me to the university of Darmstadt and then to my hometown university in Tübingern, where I have been directing the institute of sport science for two years now. What are your hobbies and interests? I am interested in many things. Unfortunately, I have not got enough time to follow my hobbies. I like skiing, tennis and jogging. I like folk music, but also musicals and in particular guitarists like Eric Clapton. As President of the DLV, how would you account for Germany's traditional success in athletics, and for the popularity of athletics in your country? As president of the German athletic federation I have tried to give the federation a new reform structure. It was of major importance to me that the federation entered into long-term partnerships with TV and strong business partners. I managed to do so in those 8 years. Staff has been renewed and communications has been improved. We can be proud of our success. You became President of the DLV (in 1993) during the unification period of Germany. What problems did you encounter in bringing two different athletics cultures or systems together? The process of unification will still go on for some more years, until equal conditions will be established in East and West. This applies also to sport and athletics. The process of unification has been mastered by our athletes first. Our national team has a real team spirit now. Overcoming the past is more difficult, in particular for the elder generation where ideological controversies still exist. Feeling nostalgic, some people are likely to forget the dictatorial past of the GDR. They glorify certain conditions and do not want to understand that the former GDR structure cannot be applied to an open democratic society. You have been DLV President for the past eight years (NDLR Mr Digel will not be standing for re-election). What do you believe your achievements were during this period and what is your legacy? Upon my election I pointed out that leading positions should be limited in duration for the sake of innovation and the empowerment of women. Therefore, after eight years, I have decided to step down as president, staying however within the DLV. In the past eight years we have achieved a lot. Our national teams have been very successful. After the first year which was not very strong (the DLV hosted the World Championships in Stuttgart in 1993 but its team members enjoyed only modest success), the coaches' structure was reformed, talent promotion was guided by a strict performance philosophy and we coped with the difficult issues like athletics for children and youth. The last couple of years, were finally marked by stability. Our youth team was very successful at the last World Youth Championships and our juniors were ranked first at the World Junior Championships in Chile. At the last World Championships in Seville our team ranked second. At the same time we have succeeded in optimising our economically relevant events, the indoor and outdoor championships, the DLV Gala, and our international combined events meeting. Now, we have got 100,000 spectators a year in the stadia and our TV audience amounts to more than 100 million. The financial situation is stable and the federation's headquarters is an architecturally interesting building owned by the DLV itself. As Vice-Chairman of the IAAF Marketing-Promotion Commission, do you feel that the IAAF is doing enough to promote athletics, and how do you think we can improve? The promotion of athletics has to be improved world-wide. This applies also to the promotion of our World Series, our World Championships, the World Cup and any other major event in athletics. In my opinion, communication tools have not been exhausted to the benefit of athletics. For this purpose, however, the IAAF is in need of reliable organisers in the hosting countries. Unfortunately, too often bidding candidates have promised what the event cannot deliver. Because of this there is a permanent danger of losing face with marketing and TV partners. This risk has to be minimised in the interest of a safe future for the IAAF. This will also enable us to find new business partners. For this purpose our agency ISL needs the support of all member federations. All parties involved have to understand that contracts are the basis of professionalism in sports marketing. Rights that have been granted once have to be respected. They cannot be questioned each time an organisation would like to, for selfish reasons. So, control will become very important to the IAAF. And before awarding attractive events to our members, much more detailed evaluations need to be made in order to avoid ambush marketing, false promises and inadequate sporting facilities. The IAAF, in collaboration with ISL, is making a significant investment in Internet development. Do you think that the importance of Internet is justified or exaggerated? Because it is such a new medium, discussions about Internet are sometimes difficult. Only a few people really have the knowledge to talk about the Internet's future. There are also really unrealistic expectations regarding the source of revenue the Internet may represent for federations. Nonetheless, the Internet is an interesting opportunity, also regarding the IAAF website. Completely new means of communication are possible and in particular the prospects for internal communication may be cost saving on a mid-and long-term basis. So, investments in Internet are urgently needed. I would recommend approaching precise projects. They should be planned and subjected to monitoring. Moreover, creative partnerships with internet experts would be useful. You are heavily involved in the development of sport in Germany and throughout the world, where does this passion for development stem from? Since the start of my studies, I have been interested in societies and social change, in comparing cultures and in development questions. Study trips led me at an early stage to visit the so called less developed countries and I soon realised just how unjust social conditions can be and how immense is the gulf between North and South in global terms. We must try to reduce the existing inequality between the continents with mid and long-term policies. Sport can play a prominent role in this respect as I have shown in many scientific evaluations and consultations offered to countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America. For me personally, the development activities of the IAAF are the most important investment for the future. I am glad about any success of athletes coming from so-called developing nations. When global athletics is increasingly composed of smaller nations and less developed countries, we can show that athletics is more than just a sport. However, I would like to add that the development question is not limited to poor and young nations. For quite a long time development has become a question, also for those of us working in the "old" world. * KBS mendapatkan khidmat perunding dari kerajaan Jerman Barat (pada masa itu) untuk membuat kajian kemungkinan pembinaan sebuah ISN. Akhirnya datanglah satu pasukan terdiri daripada dua orang pegawai yang diketuai oleh Prof. Helmut Diegel untuk menjalankan kajian berkenaan dan saya menjadi pegawai tempatan kepada pasukan berkenaan.	Kajian telah diselesaikan dan dicadangkan supaya sebuah institut sukan ditubuhkan dengan beberapa jabatan di dalamnya khususnya dalam bidang sains sukan.- Datuk Wira Mazlan Ahmad.

Doa Shabery Buat Malek Noor

Meskipun belum berkesempatan mengunjungi bekas jaguh bina badan negara, Dato’ Malek Noor yang diserang sakit jantung dua hari lepas, Menteri Belia dan Sukan, Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek tetap mendoakan agar bekas Mr.Asia sebanyak 6 kali itu segera sembuh dan kembali aktif seperti sedia kala.

“..saya belum berkesempatan untuk melawat tetapi saya sentiasa mengikuti perkembangan, saya mengambil tahu keadaan beliau sejak beliau diserang sakit jantung", reaksi Shabery ketika ditanya Suara Sukan.

Gambar diambil ketika rombongan Yakeb tiba di Stadium Ipoh

Shabery berkata Malek Noor, yang terpaksa dikejarkan ke Hospital Pantai Ipoh pada Rabu selepas diserang sakit jantung ketika menyertai Perlawanan Bolasepak Amal antara Pilihan Yayasan Kebajikan Atlet Kebangsaan (YAKEB) dan Pilihan Menteri Besar Perak adalah salah seorang tokoh sukan disegani, dan yakin peminat Malek Noor di luar sana pastinya turut mendoakan kesihatan beliau.

Malek, 56 tahun sememangnya dikenali sebagai seorang yang cukup menghiburkan ekoran sifatnya yang sentiasa suka melawak, serta peribadinya yang suka merendah diri baru pulang dari mengerjakan umrah 19 Mac lalu, dan banyak terlibat dalam aktiviti bersama YAKEB sejak kebelakangan ini.

Ketika menyertai aktiviti YAKEB

Beliau yang juga bekas finalis Mr.Universe serta Pengarah Eksekutif Universal Fitness & Leisure, cukup popular pada era 1980-an dan pernah dinobatkan Olahragawan Kebangsaan pada 1986 dan 1990. 

Selain kejaguhannya dalam dunia bina badan, Malek juga dikenali sebagai pelakon - antara filem dibintanginya, Juara, Rimba Malam, Pendekar Mata Satu dan Sahabat.

**Gambar koleksi Arkib YAKEB 

Bicara Lagenda - Marina Chin

Bagi peminat sukan Olahraga, nama Marina Chin pastinya belum pudar daripada ingatan, ratu pecut dan lari berpagar yang mencipta nama di lapangan olahraga tanah air, lebih 30 tahun lalu dengan deretan pencapaian mengagumkan.

Melihat ‘portfolio’ Pengetua Sekolah Sukan Bukit Jalil ini, nyata penulis sendiri tergamam dan satu mukasurat pastinya tidak memadai untuk menceritakan episod pencapaian hebat lagenda Olahraga tanah air ini.

Menyingkap penglibatannya sebagai atlet, ianya bermula hanya sekadar satu kebetulan apabila beliau beraksi mewakili Sekolah Convent Sentul, pada Kejohanan Olahraga Antara Sekolah Zon Utara Selangor pada usia 16 tahun (1971) – itupun secara ‘suka-suka’.

 

Kemenangan dalam dua acara pecut - 100 dan 200 meter menyemarakkan semangat Marina untuk terlibat secara lebih serius dan penampilan pertamanya di pentas Sukan Sea berjaya membantu pasukan negara selaku tuan rumah meraih pingat emas dalam acara 4 x 400 meter pada tahun yang sama – kejayaan yang disifatkannya sebagai paling manis sepanjang bergelar atlet.

Pada March 1972, Marina memperbaharui rekod kebangsaan acara 200 meter dengan catatan 26.6 saat, 0.2 saat mengatasi rekod lama pada Kejohanan Allcomers Persatuan Olahraga Amatur Selangor di Stadium Merdeka.

Bergelar guru adalah impian yang menjadi kenyataan buat Marina, dan pada 1975, beliau yang merupakan guru pelatih di Maktab Perguruan Seri Kota, meraih pingat Perak lari berpagar 400 meter Kejohanan Olahraga Asia di Seoul, Korea Selatan.

Pada September tahun  yang sama, Marina meneruskan kecemerlangannya, apabila sekali lagi memperbaharui rekod kebangsaan, acara lari berpagar 100 meter dengan catatan 15.2 saat, serta acara 400 meter lari berpagar dengan catatan 64.9 saat di Kejohanan Olahraga Terbuka Singapura.

Ianya tidak terhenti di situ, tahun berikutnya, Marina meraih emas acara 100 meter lari berpagar dengan catatan 15.3 saat Kejohanan Olahraga Jemputan Filipina di Manila, dan seterusnya
memperbaharui rekod kebangsaan dengan catatan 28.4 saat dalam acara lari berpagar 200 meter pada
Kejohanan Olahraga Terbuka Malaysia di Alor Star, Kedah pada Ogos 1976.

Kejayaan demi kejayaan yang dilakar menyaksikannya dinobatkan selaku Olahragawati Kebangsaan dan Selangor untuk dua tahun berturut-turut, 1976 dan 1977.  

Pada Sukan Sea 1977, Marina meraih emas berganda acara 100 dan 200 meter, dan hampir menyamai pencapaian sifunya, M.Rajamani dengan meraih emas ketiga jika tidak gara-gara kerana kesilapan pengadilan.

Pada 1979 pula, gandingan Marina bersama Saik Oik Cum, V.Angamah dan Zaiton Othman menghadiahkan Malaysia pingat Perak acara 4x400 meter pada Kejohanan Antarabangsa Trek & Padang Asia Tokyo.

Beliau kemudiannya meraih emas acara lari berpagar 100 meter, dan 4x400 meter pada Kejohanan Sukan Sea ke-10 Jakarta, pada tahun yang sama.

Andai wajah manis yang menjadi rebutan ramai jejaka suatu ketika dahulu ini meneruskan kariernya, pastinya sejarah lebih gemilang tercipta, namun Marina memilih untuk melanjutkan pelajaran ke Amerika Syarikat, pada 1980.

Sumbangannya bagaimanapun tidak terhenti di situ, pulang selepas menamatkan pengajiannya dalam bidang Sarjana Muda Sains dan Sarjana Kesusasteraan, Marina menyumbang khidmatnya di Kementerian Pendidikan, selain terlibat secara serius dalam pelbagai aktiviti dan seminar memartabatkan sukan olahraga tanah air bersama Majlis Sukan Negara.

Ditanya misi utamanya selaku Pengetua SSBJ ketika ini - melahirkan jaguh Olimpik dari kalangan pelajar SSBJ.