Exactly 24 years ago today, two Malaysians made history when they reached the peak of the Mount Everest. They were the first Malaysians to achieve the feat and it opened the way for several other young Malaysians to follow in their footstep in the last two decade.
M Magendran and N Mohanadass were part of the Malaysia Everest Project 1997 and it was the former who first reached the summit on May 23, 1997 at 11.55am followed by Mohandas at 12.10pm. The duo were later awarded with Datukships in 2011 for the feat.
They stayed on the summit for about 45 minutes before heading back down after a punishing final five-day assault.
While mountaineering was at its infancy then as far as Malaysians were concerned, the achievement of the duo started a new era for Malaysians.
Mount Everest, the world’s highest mountain, with a peak at 8,848 metres (29,029 ft) above sea level was seen as the pinnacle for mountaineers.
Its summit was first achieved in 1953 after numerous failed attempts that began in 1921. It was the legendary Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay who first set foot atop the mountain.
Of the ten man team attempting the feat, it was only the duo, who were able to conquer the extreme weather and conditions to successfully scale the mountain.
The ascent to the peak was a culmination of three years of intensive training and stiff selection process conducted by the Malaysian Mountaineering Association and Ministry of Youth and Sports. Over 120 applicants joined the project, with 50 applicants being shortlisted for the fitness and training program and only ten, including Magendran and Mohanadas, were finally selected to take on the Everest mission.
On May 18, four climbers set out from Camp 4 for the final assault after rigorous acclimatisation to temperature, humidity and altitude since March 26.
Muhammad Fauzan Hassan and Gary Chong fell ill and had to turn back, leaving Magendran and Mohanadas to make the crucial charge.
Magendran was also injured with his left knee was still hurting after it had slammed into ice during a climb. He put on a knee guard and bandage and carried on gallantly.
And that the feat was achieved as the nation was commemorating its 40th independence the same year was all the more memorable.
The pioneering feat by the duo put Malaysia among the 48 nations that has successfully scaled Mount Everest since the first ascent in 1953.
In 2000, the duo were immortalised by the Philatelic Bureau of Malaysia with the issuance of postage stamps as part of the Millenium Series: The Spirit of a New Malaysia.
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