Subscribe in a reader | Subscribe by Email How two sisters walked to glory
By YENG AI CHUN
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Sisters P. Sakthirani (left) and P. Premarani (right) with their trophies and medals from Starwalk competitions from 1978 to 1993.
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JUST before the start of a race, walkers P. Sakthirani and her sister P. Premarani would down a cuppa hot ‘kopi o’ (coffee without milk).
This was their habit whenever they competed regularly at the track
Their foray into sports started in their late teens and Sakthirani went on to achieve fame as a national walker while her elder sister Premarani competed in the local circuit.
And they were no strangers to the prestigious Starwalk.
They took part in the Starwalk from 1978 to 1993 and were placed in the top three ranking in their respective categories.
The two sisters from Bukit Mertajam emerged winners for the women junior category during the first Starwalk in 1978.
“We were pretty nervous taking part in the first Starwalk as we had to maintain our standings. Even before Starwalk, we had taken part in other track competitions,” said Sakthirani, 37, sitting next to Premarani, 38, in an interview at their mother’s home in Taman Bukit.
Premarani remembers the first Starwalk being extra special as the first Prime Minister Tunku Abdul Rahman flagged off the walk on Dec 31, 1978.
“The walk started in Esplanade and was about 10km. My sister (Sakthirani) won first prize in the category and I won the second-runner up prize.
“We received a pewter shield, Power shoe vouchers and dinner vouchers at the Dragon Seafood Res-taurant in Bishop Street,” said Premarani.
The sisters started being active in track competitions in 1978 but Premarani stopped after getting married in 1993. Sakthirani continued till 1996 and during her heyday as a national walker, she won gold medals in the 1979, 1981 and 1983 SEA Games.
“We used to wake up at 5.30am in the morning to train. We would walk to Jalan Chain Ferry from our house and back, covering about 15km. Our elder sister P. Jamarani would cycle alongside during our training,” said Sakthirani.
Both sisters agreed that it required strict discipline to keep to their training but it was not hard to do so because of their passion for sports.
“Our whole family is into sports. Our brothers are into cricket and golf. Our mother was a sportswoman when she was in school. And our father was very encouraging and supportive of us being involved in sports,” said Sakthirani, who works as a bank teller.
She added that her employer, the founder of Public Bank and chairman Tan Sri Dr Teh Hong Piow, was very supportive of her involvement in sports.
Though the sisters no longer take part in competitions, they still maintain a healthy lifestyle by taking morning walks around their neigh-bourhood every morning.
Premarani is currently training her two children N. Suman Raj, 13, and N. Harathikaali, 12, to take part in Starwalk in 2009.
“My son is playing cricket at school and golf with his uncles. My daughter is into classical dancing. But before they take part in Starwalk, they have to be fit and ready,” said the housewife.
