Ex-Paralympic Archer Yuhaizam, An Air Crash Survivor 20 Years Ago, Dies

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 27 (Bernama) -- 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, when contacted by Bernama here today.

Mohd Shahrizal said that his brother, who had represented the country at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, passed away at the Taiping Hospital in Perak at 10.40 pm yesterday 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 11 am today.

Meanwhile, national Paralympic archer Mohd Zafi Mat Salleh, who competed at the 2012 London Olympics, expressed shock at the news of his comrade’s passing, saying that he and the deceased had discussed holding a reunion.

“I have known him since 2010 and have many memories of us training and competing together. He was a disciplined person with a high fighting spirit and often motivated his friends. He was like a mentor to me. We usually exchange messages and were planning to meet up with former teammates and coaches who are in Kuala Lumpur. So, this news really shocked me,” he said.

For the record, Yuhaizam survived a Sikorsky Nuri helicopter crash in Butterworth in 2004 that claimed the lives of two of his close friends.

In the incident on March 5, 2004, at about 7.21 am, the Nuri copter piloted by Yuhaizam crashed in a residential area in Taman Udara, Permatang Tengah, Butterworth, killing the co-pilot Captain Dicky Rishi Chin, 27, and Sergeant Zailani Ab Kadir, 37.

Yuhaizam suffered spinal injuries and was confined to a wheelchair after the horrific accident.

Apart from competing in the Paralympics, Yuhaizam’s successes on the international stage included winning a 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