M. Dattaya was an established international athlete in the hammer and discus events in the 60s and 70s.
PETALING JAYA: Triple SEA Games hammer throw champion M. Dattaya, a well known athletics figure in the 60s and 70s, passed away at his daughters home in Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday morning.
Dattaya was 90.
Hailing from Taiping, Dattaya was known for his duels with his hometown mate Ghenda Singh in hammer throw events and was also a rival to multiple SEAP and SEA Games discus throw champion Danapal Naidu.
The bespectacled Dattaya secured two silver medals in the 1965 (Kuala Lumpur) and 1967 (Jakarta) SEAP Games behind compatriot Danapal before becoming a force in hammer throw where he captured SEAP Games golds in 1971 (KL), 1973 (Singapore) and the 1979 SEA Games (Jakarta).
The towering athlete was one of the many top international athletes to come from Perak, including the legendary javelin thrower Nashatar Singh.
Dattaya and Nashatar also played rugby for Perak while the former has also represented the state in football.
Interestingly, Nashatar was the national athletics coach when Dattaya won his last hammer gold in Jakarta in 1979.
Well known athletics administrator and official Datuk A. Vathilingam described Dattaya as a jovial person and a fierce competitor on the field.
"I had an unique opportunity to lead the national athletics team to the 1973 SEAP Games in Singapore where Dattaya was part of the team. He was very friendly with everyone but never smiled at Ghenda who also hails form Taiping," recalled Vaithilingam.
"They competed fiercely as Dattaya won gold and Ghenda bronze and after the event was over, they were the best of friends again.
"Dattaya was such a dedicated athlete and served the nation for 20 years and had always spread positive energy and offered tips to young throwers.
"Another great loss to athletics and my deepest condolence to his family."
Dattaya also worked as a freelance reporter in a few publications including the Star in the 80s.
Choo Jawn Hee, a former national table tennis player and also attached to the StarSport for more than three decades, called Dattaya a gentle giant.
"We competed at the 1979 SEA Games where he won the hammer gold while I was part of the table tennis team that clinched bronze. He was a gentle giant and a soft-spoken person," said Jawn Hee.
"Since we had no office or writers in Ipoh during those days, it was a treasure to get athletic stories from him."
Dattaya's legacy continued in the SEA Games hammer throw events as Samret Singh and Wong Tee Kue won seven gold medals between them after his retirement.
