It's never too late to live life to the fullest, and create history, when possible.

N. Elanghovan, better known as Elango, is testament to this. The 64-year-old Tenaga Nasional Berhad retiree created history when he became the oldest Malaysian to summit Mount Everest at 9.17am Nepal time (11.32am Malaysian time) on May 12.

For his impressive feat, Elango has also received the greenlight to be listed as the oldest Malaysian to scale the world's tallest mountain, by the Malaysia Book of Records (MBOR).

Speaking to Bernama, the sexagenarian said that he considers his achievement as "mission accomplished".

"Standing on top of the world is hard to describe in words. I was truly realising my dream. All the hard work I put in and the sacrifices I made, paid off," he told the national news agency.

For the record, Elango had made it to the Everest Base Camp in 2014, and for his recent feat of summitting the moutain, he was awarded a certificate dated June 14 by the Department of Tourism of Nepal's Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Civil Aviation, verifying his climb to the top of the 8,849-metre-high mountain.

Prior to Elango, the late Idris Said of Radio Televisyen Malaysia (RTM) was the oldest Malaysian to climb Everest, when he achieved the feat in 2007, aged 52. He died in 2017.

Elango climbed Everest with two others - Malaysian T. Ravichandran, who's better known as Ravi Everest, and United States-based Indian national Sidharth Routray, 40.

According to Elango, his goal is to scale the seven tallest mountains in seven continents.

With Mount Everest in Asia and Mt Kilimanjaro in Africa ((5,895 metres), which he climbed in 2016, already in the bag, Elango has his eyes next set on Mt Aconcagua (6,961 metres) in Argentina, South America; Mt Denali (6,194 metres) in Alaska, North America; Mt Elbrus (5,642 metres) in Russia, Europe; Mt Vinson Massif (4,892 metres) in Antarctica and Mt Kosciuszko (2,228 metres) in Australia.

A very impressive achievement indeed. Congratulations sir, and may you be blessed with a long, healthy life, so that you can fulfil your dreams.


Source & Photo source: Bernama