Recently, we celebrated N.Elanghovan’s triumph against the Mount Everest this year and prior to that, we had two Malaysian students who have successfully conquered the mountain as well. Now, despite his weakness, another Malaysian mountaineer has climbed his way to victory!
Last Friday (22nd July), National climber T. Ravichandran has made Malaysia proud with his latest achievement, conquering K2, the second highest summit in the world in Pakistan, along with five other world-class solo climbers, accompanied by five Sherpas (mountain guides) to guide them throughout their expedition.
Despite being a person with disabilities (PwD), Ravichandran has become the first Malaysian to raise the national flag Jalur Gemilang at the peak of the 8,611 metre-high K2 summit, which is only 250 metres shorter compared to the world’s highest summit—8,848 metres—Mount Everest.
As a matter of fact, this is not the first time 57-year-old Ravichandran went against all odds to achieve such an accomplishment. He has conquered Mount Everest twice in 2006 and 2007 prior to his third expedition up the highest mountain again on 12th May this year.
As an expression of love for his country, the mountaineer has gifted his recent success to Malaysia in conjunction with the upcoming National Day celebration. “Love for the country, living in peace and harmony, these are the keys to unity instilled in me that proved to be a source of strength for me in facing the difficulties throughout the climb,” he stated.
Ravichandran expressed his gratitude to his wife—the pillar of strength for his success—as well as the support from his family, friends, sponsors and Malaysian citizens who inspired him to reach the peak. He said that being with disabilities had not hindered him, rather he has proven that a disabled person could be as strong as the rest.
According to his Facebook page, it seems like having a good long rest is not an option for the national climber as he has already made plans for future expeditions, one being his fourth climb to Mount Everest.
Sources: The Rakyat Post, New Straits Times
Neetashini Kanendran contributed to this article
