Mr Canagasabai Kunalan

'My spirit is willing – so my flesh keeps trying’
Mr C. Kunalan
Teacher/ Athlete/ Mentor

Mr Canagasabai Kunalan, affectionately known as Mr K, was born on October 23, 1942, in a rubber estate in Johore, Malaysia. A household name in Singapore Track and Field and a highly regarded educator, this special feature looks at Mr K as a Teacher, Athlete and Mentor.

The Teacher: Enthusing Students in Sports

Mr K dedicated almost 50 years of his life to education. His teaching career started at the former Tiong Bahru School in 1961 before he joined the former Dunearn Secondary Technical School in 1967. In 1980, Mr K was appointed assistant professor at the College of Physical Education (CPE) where he specialised in functional anatomy and exercise physiology, and also taught fitness and conditioning and track and field, before retiring in 2010.

Mr K shared candidly that if not for the acute shortage of teachers during the 1950s and 1960s, he might not have been appointed as a “Temporary Teacher” given his unimpressive academic record. Because of this shortage, all trainee teachers then were posted immediately to schools for a year to teach before they received their formal training at the Teachers’ Training College (TTC).

When Mr K joined the former Tiong Bahru School, he was asked to teach Mathematics, English Language, Physical Education and Music. He reminisced how he struggled to prepare Mathematics lessons because it was his weakest subject as a student. Despite his unfamiliarity with badminton, Mr K was made the badminton headmaster for the school. Badminton training sessions then were held in the evenings at the open-air car park aided by flood lights. According to Mr K, attendance at the daily badminton training sessions gradually soared, and one day, his principal called him into the office to request that badminton training sessions be reduced because the school could not afford the rising electric bill.

Cross Country Race for DSTS athletes

By the time Mr K was posted to the former Dunearn Secondary Technical School (DSTS) and took charge of the school’s Track and Field team, he had already developed a wider repertoire of training methods which were considered advanced for his time. He combined endurance, speed and strength training for his students, for example by making them run from the school which was then located along Upper Bukit Timah Road to MacRitchie Reservoir, coupled with 300m interval slope runs and 103 steps workouts.

To this day, his students from the former Dunearn Secondary Technical School still talk fondly about their training sessions at the annual barbeque organise by Mr K.

Annual BBQ with DSTS Athletes

The Athlete: Blazing The Trail

On the practice track at Kallang (Photo courtesy of SSC)

Considered one of Singapore’s greatest ever athletes on the track, Mr K was named Sportsman of the Year in 1968 and 1969. His remarkable feat of 10.38 seconds in the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games 100 metres was a national record that stood for 33 years. Throughout his sporting career, he won 15 SEA Games and 5 Asian Games medal.

1961/62 Teachers’ Union Soccer Team

Mr K started his sporting career at the late age of 20 years. In fact, he was more interested in soccer than running. While training with the Singapore Teachers’ Union soccer team, Mr K was talent-spotted by the late Dr Tan Eng Yoon who noticed him moving very quickly on the field. Dr Tan saw great potential in Mr K as an athlete and invited him to join the national squad for training. Feeling unworthy to be part of the squad, Mr K gave excuses for his absence from training but finally gave in after persistent coaxing by Dr Tan and Mr Chia Hearn Kok, a former national athlete. The rest, as they say is history.

Thereafter, Mr K approached running with single-mindedness, arriving early for training and working harder than his teammates. When his coach asked the team to run 10 repetitions of 150m, Mr K would do 12 to 15 repetitions. In September 1963, after just 5 months of training, Mr K was selected to represent Singapore in his first competitive outing at the Merdeka Games in Kuala Lumpur. He participated in 3 events, winning 3 medals (gold in 4 x 200m, silver in 200m, and bronze in 4 x 400m) and helping the team set 2 national records (4 x 100m, and 4 x 400m).

Mr K experienced a breakthrough in his sporting career in 1966. He held 5 national records, three of which were for individual events (100m, 200m, 400m) and two for the relays (4 x 100m and 4 x 400m). He missed being crowned Asia’s fastest man by a millisecond. At the 5th Asian Games, Mr K was beaten by a photo finish when he clocked the same time as M.Jegathesan of Malaysia. He did not let this painful loss deter him from rallying the team to a new national record later in the 4 x 400m relay. Between 1963 and 1974, Mr K rewrote Singapore’s national records for the sprint events 19 times (11 times for individual events and 8 times for relays) before he retired from competitive sports in 1979 at the age of 37 years old. “Instead of sulking over his 100m finals loss, especially after having led almost the full 100m, Kunalan put it aside and anchored the 4 x 400m relay team to the bronze medal and a new National Record. You have to gauge a great athlete not only through his prowess but also his humility. This is just one great example.”

Recollection by a former teammate, Mr Ho Munn Cheong

Racing against the 1968 Olympic silver medallist

The Mentor: Leaving a Legacy

After his retirement, Mr K continues to lead an active and healthy lifestyle. Today at the age of 71, he still observes a daily morning exercise regime of core strength training and cardiovascular conditioning.

2009 YOG Torch Bearer

Mr K’s legacy is defined not only by his sporting achievements but also his influence as a teacher-educator. Many PE teachers will attest to Mr K’s positive influence and impact during their teacher training days. In his unassuming way, Mr K would always be ready to demonstrate and share his skills and knowledge with trainee-teachers.

Recollections by Former Trainee-Teachers

Mr Daryl Sung Tze How, PE/PAL Co-ordinator, Cedar Primary School

Mr K taught me the Introduction to Physical Education module, and was also my supervisor during practicum. He left a deep impression on me during my learning years as a trainee teacher. To me, Mr. K is a passionate teacher, mentor and role model who walks the talk. As a teacher-educator, his lectures often included personal examples and testimonies which helped me connect theory with practice in PE and sports. His feedback and advice on my teaching also helped me to see things from a positive perspective and strive for improvement. He encouraged me to always hone my craft as a PE teacher and readily offered help.

Embracing Mr K in Cedar Primary School

In 2012, my school designed an exercise programme (Go for H3) in conjunction with the London Olympics. When I sought Mr K’s help to encourage and motivate my students to participate in the programme, his immediate response was “Sure, not a problem. Let me know the date, time and details.”  He shared his Olympic journey with my students in a personal and light-hearted way. For someone who has achieved so much for Singapore sports, Mr K is incredibly humble. He does not boast about his achievements and always emphasises the importance of hard work as well as heart work, that is to genuinely care for the students unconditionally.

Ms Eng Li Li, Programme Manager, PESTA

I had the privilege of learning from Mr K during my Diploma in PE (in- service) training. He would ensure that all the resources, equipment and practice areas were ready before each lesson. During Track and Field lessons, he would personally ensure that the sand pit would be loosened and a measuring tape put in place to record the performance of each jumper. Many of my fellow course mates, including the oldest who was only 43 years old, moaned that we were too old to do the rigorous physical training. The 60-year old Mr K stemmed the flow of complaints by outrunning, out-jumping and out-throwing us on the track and in the field. He really led by example. We were so inspired by him that we did our level best to improve our skills and performance despite the aching muscles.

In his quiet and nurturing manner, Mr K also patiently explained to me the variables affecting performance, and the principles and probable changes in motor skills. He is truly an educator at heart and is keen to impart knowledge to whoever is willing to learn.

References

C Kunalan. (2013). Retrieved July 10, 2013, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ C_Kunalan

C Kunalan, Athletics. (2007). Retrieved July 10, 2013, from http://www.sports museum.com.sg/heroes/hall_of_fame/c_kunalan.html