KUALA LUMPUR – Cardio and strength training at the Jalan Raja Muda Stadium in Kg Baru, followed by high-protein breakfasts before sunrise and pushing his body to its physical and mental limits.
This was a typical day for national hockey icon Datuk Mirnawan Nawawi during Ramadan in his playing days.
Ramadan, a period of deep spiritual reflection, is considered the holiest month for Muslims.
During this time, adherents abstain from food and drink, including water, from dawn to sunset for 30 days.
Certain groups, such as children, the elderly, the sick or pregnant, nursing mothers, menstruating women, or those travelling long distances, are exempt from fasting.
However, professional athletes like Mirnawan do not fall into this category.
Under the coaching of Terry Walsh, renowned for his strategic prowess as the national head coach, Mirnawan and his teammates underwent rigorous training sessions even during Ramadan, all with the aim of bringing glory to the country.
Speaking to Scoop, the 53-year-old triple Olympian (Barcelona 1992, Atlanta 1996 and Sydney 2000) shared the challenges and moments of resilience that defined his journey on the field and in faith during the holy month.
“Many people are not fully aware of the sacrifices made by national athletes during festive seasons, especially during Ramadan. Balancing fasting, prayers and rigorous training wasn’t easy, but we athletes managed to uphold both our faith and athletic duties.
“As a high-performance athlete, training during Ramadan was non-negotiable. Even with Coach Terry’s understanding of the challenges, he emphasised the importance of training during Ramadan and ensured we understood its significance.
“At the Jalan Raja Muda Stadium in Kg Baru, our training sessions were held, involving weight and fitness training on the turf. Whenever we ran under the hot sun, Coach Terry would use a rubber water hose to spray water on us, ensuring we didn’t get exhausted.
“That’s how challenging it was when I was a national athlete during Ramadan. But despite the difficulty, these sacrifices strengthened our mindset during training,” said Mirnawan.
At the same time, Mirnawan shared that breaking his fast with his teammates after rigorous training were some of the most special moments he had as a player.
“Sometimes we had training sessions held at night, where we would assemble at the stadium, waiting for the Maghrib prayers. We would break our fast together with all the other players and officers.
“Back in the day, it was very simple; we would just sit at the stadium, and each of us would bring our own packed meals.
“If we had late-night training, obviously, we wouldn’t be able to break our fast with heavy meals. Even from a sports science perspective, we needed to consume our meals three hours before our training sessions or matches.
“We usually broke our fast with water, dates, pastries and light fruits. We only had heavy meals after training, and for me, it was a special atmosphere, something that I will never forget until my last breath,” Mirnawan added.
Aside from his playing days for the Speedy Tigers from 1989 to 2002, Mirnawan, affectionately known as the “Boss” by local hockey fans, was also the junior (2009-2015) and senior (2020-2024) national hockey team manager.
Mirnawan made a total of 327 appearances for the Speedy Tigers and had won a Commonwealth Games silver medal (1998 Kuala Lumpur), an Asian Games bronze medal (1990 Beijing), and a total of five SEA Games gold medals (1993 Singapore, 1995 Chiang Mai, 1997 Jakarta, 1999 Bandar Seri Begawan and 2001 Kuala Lumpur). – April 7, 2024