KUCHING, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- The phrase ‘equal in stature, equal in spirit’ perfectly describes Norhayati Sarnoh’s remarkable achievement of winning four gold medals in chess at the 2024 Para Malaysia Games (Para SUKMA) in Sarawak, matching her husband Khairul Razi Suliman's gold-medal haul in swimming.
Norhayati, 43, lost her sight at the age of 19 due to an adverse drug reaction but never lost her competitive drive. Despite stepping away from sports temporarily to focus on her family, her passion reignited when she returned to chess seven years ago.
The Perak representative said she initially took up chess on a whim after being encouraged by a close friend, never imagining it would turn into both a competitive career and a source of income. She also works as an instructor at a centre for the blind in Kuala Lumpur.
“I started out as a lawn bowler, playing the sport from 2004 until 2014, even winning a gold medal at the World Championships in 2009. But I took a two-year break (2015 and 2016) to care for my newborn.
“However, I re-entered the world of sports in 2017, this time in chess. A friend patiently taught me the game, step by step. I took it seriously and worked hard to improve,” she told Bernama here today.
Norhayati clinched four gold medals in the B1 (visual impairment) women’s individual standard event, B1 women’s team standard, B1 women’s individual rapid, and B1 women’s team rapid events.
Her stellar performance mirrored that of her husband, who represented Johor and also captured gold in the 100-metre freestyle S12 (visual impairment) men’s category, the 100m backstroke S12, 100m breaststroke SB4, and 50m freestyle S12.
Even better, Khairul Razi also set a new national record of 29.42 seconds in the 50m freestyle S12, breaking the previous mark of 29.45 seconds set by Sarawak’s Julius Jaranding six years ago.
Norhayati, a mother of two, credited her family’s shared understanding and teamwork for their success, saying that each family member contributed to their achievements.
“I’m especially grateful to my husband, who has always supported and encouraged me to find time for training, despite being an athlete himself.
“When I train, he takes care of the children, and I do the same for him. Balancing family, work and training is a huge commitment, but I’m grateful for what we’ve accomplished together,” she said.
-- BERNAMA
