Being homeward bound due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown has not stopped silambam opponent Kaviarasi Sanggar from creating a record in the discipline.

The former world silambam gold medallist gained entry into the Malaysia Book of Records for conducting a 14-hour non-stop virtual silambam class on Aug 15.

According to The Star, the virtual class, held between 6am and 8pm from Kuala Lumpur, was attended by 160 silambam enthusiasts from across the country, as well as Singapore and India.

"I've been studying silambam for 14 years and I have a great deal of respect and affection for it. Thus, after 14 years of effort, I successfully completed by 14-hour class and used every hour to remind me of my silambam days.

"The movement control order due to COVID-19 prompted me to pursue the concept of a virtual class. There are no previous Malaysian records set for silambam so I wanted to thrust this martial art into the limelight," the 27-year-old kedah-born athlete told the daily in an e-mail interview.

The physical education teacher at SJK(T) Kampung Pandan in Kuala Lumpur trained for more than three months to ensure she was mentally and physically fit to face the challenge.

She rehearsed for hours in front of her computer, mirror, and smartphone, and even took care of her diet so that her stamina would last her during the record-breaking feat.

"Each hour of the challenge taught me about patience and the willpower to succeed. I am thrilled that I managed to complete the feat and include silambam in the Malaysia Book of Records," said Kaviarasi, who is also among the 60 female silambam coaches in the country.

For the record, Kaviarasi competed in the Malaysian Games (Sukma) silambam tournaments from 2008 to 2017, and scooped six golds at the 2009 Malaysian Games. She also won in the female category at the Selangor state government's Martial Art XTIV virtual competition last year.

Kaviarasi's two younger siblings - S Rahmeswary and S Jivarassan, are also national silambam athletes.

During the pandemic lockdown, she had been offering free virtual silambam lessons to those interested to learn the Indian martial art.

Kudos on your achievement Kaviarasi! You can view photos and videos of her in action on her Instagram account.


Source& Photo source: The Star