One-armed athlete with ‘special condition’ defies his critics

Free Malaysia Today

Once bullied and overweight, Loh Chee Khoon has since transformed himself and participated in over 30 Spartan Races and ultra-marathons.   Story by: Sheela Vijayan Shot by: Muhaimin Marwan Presented by: Dinesh Kumar Maganathan Edited by: Kiera Amin & Vishna Laxmi Balasubramaniam   Read More:   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: http://bit.ly/2Rn6xEV Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on Twitter: http://bit.ly/2OCwH8a  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/2OKJbc6 Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3cpbWKK Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/2VUfOrv Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/3B1e8lN Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/39dBDbe ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP   #FMTLifestyle #LohCheeKhoon #OneArmedAthlete #SpecialCondition

Transcript

00:00 I aware that disability is just a name only

00:04 because even we call it disability

00:06 I don't call it disability

00:08 I call it a special condition

00:10 34-year-old Loh Chee Koon was born with only one arm

00:15 but his family raised him with love that made him feel whole

00:19 Things changed, however, when he started school

00:23 and was physically and verbally bullied

00:26 Sometimes I just walk like normal people

00:28 but people suddenly will pull my hand, my prosthetic arm

00:32 just lift my arm up

00:34 but I can't do anything because

00:37 even though I seek for help

00:39 but nobody will be willing to help me that time

00:42 During physical education classes

00:44 Loh would watch from the sidelines as his classmates played sports

00:49 One day, his school organised a compulsory 5km run

00:54 Loh asked his best friend to run with him

00:57 but halfway, he realised he was holding his friend back

01:01 and decided to quit

01:03 So from that experience

01:05 for me, sports is definitely not something that I can do

01:10 I can't even finish a race

01:13 Over the years, food would become a source of comfort

01:16 when he got stressed

01:18 As his weight increased, his self-esteem plummeted

01:22 Things changed when a colleague shared about the fitness events

01:25 she participated in

01:27 Loh was motivated to join a gym

01:31 and later, even signed up for a 10km run

01:35 After I started

01:38 I started to hear different kinds of voices from people around

01:42 people laughing at me, saying that

01:44 "Are you sure you can finish the race?"

01:46 Instead of letting these comments discourage him

01:49 Loh not only completed the race

01:51 but went on to take part in longer distance events

01:55 as well as more challenging races

01:58 One of these was the Spartan Race

02:00 a global series of obstacle races with varying levels of difficulty

02:05 Alright!

02:07 Nice one!

02:09 Today, Loh estimates he has taken part in over 30 Spartan races

02:14 both locally and in places such as

02:16 Thailand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the United States

02:21 He has also run ultra marathons

02:24 with his longest to date capped at 100km

02:29 Loh has certainly come a long way from being a victim of bullying

02:33 to a victor over his circumstances

02:36 He also conducts motivational talks to inspire others with his journey

02:42 From my fitness journey

02:44 I am aware that disability is just a name only

02:48 because even we call it disability

02:50 I don't call it disability

02:51 I call it special condition

02:54 People with special condition

02:57 they actually have a very talented potential

03:01 that they need to discover by themselves

03:04 But for me at least I know that my body can do a lot of stuff

03:07 that I used to think that I can't do

03:10 Dinesh Kumar Maganathan and Sheila Vijayan, FMT Lifestyle

03:19 [MUSIC PLAYING]

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