Coach Jega’s philosophy of empowering athletes with acceptance, discipline and resilience has enabled them to move from out of the shadows and into the light
DEEPAVALI, the festival of lights, symbolises the triumph of hope, resilience and strength in the face of adversity.
This season, Maybank captures the essence of Deepavali through its short film, The Lighthouse, celebrating the remarkable journey of Dr R. Jeganathan, fondly known as “Coach Jega.”
As a PhD holder in sports coaching and management, mentor and guide to countless paralympic athletes, Coach Jega has dedicated his life to empowering those with disabilities, helping them realise their full potential.
In sports, a coach is often like a lighthouse – a steady guide who helps athletes navigate the rough waters of competition and personal challenges.
For athletes with disabilities, this role becomes even more profound, as they face not only the physical demands of their sport but also the societal barriers placed in their path.
Shining beacon
Coach Jega is a perfect embodiment of this guiding light. With 40 years of coaching experience, he began his career in 1979, coaching able-bodied athletes, but in 2001, he transitioned to training persons with disabilities – a decision that reshaped both his career and his outlook on life.
“My father used to say that we must help people excel. He said that a coach needs to be serious and strict. The proof, he said, will be when your kids go up the podium.And this has been my path,” says Jega, 68, who is honoured to have earned the Coach of The Year title in 2004, 2014, 2016.
Since 2001, Jega has been coaching athletes with disabilities. — File pic
Jega says that switching from training able-bodied to para athletes was not easy at first.
“When the National Sports Council (NSC) approached me to be head coach for the Malaysia Para Athlete Association (MPAA), I was unsure. But my wife encouraged me saying that they are God’s children and that I should give up everything else and help them.
“I had to take a lot of courses, including sports psychology at UPM, counselling at UKM and human resource studies at MIM,” he says.
“I also learnt a lot from the athletes themselves – their weaknesses and strengths. I knew I had to be more than just a coach to them, I had to be father, brother, uncle,” he added.
Jega says that initially many would tease and ridicule him for training athletes with disabilities.
“It took 15 years. But when we got our first gold medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, it was an unbelievable feeling to see the Malaysian flag raised and hear the Negaraku playing.”
Celebrating ability over disability is a philosophy that drives Coach Jega’s approach to coaching.
He sees beyond his athletes’ physical limitations, focusing instead on their potential, resilience and inner strength, and credits sportsman Nashatar Singh for steering him towards coaching in 1979.
Of faith and fortitude
Coach Jega’s own journey is one of overcoming adversity. In January 2015, he was in a severe accident that left him with a broken back, broken hip joint and in a coma.
Miraculously, he recovered and walked again, reaffirming his belief that he was meant to continue coaching.
“If He – the man upstairs – wants me to continue coaching, then that is what I have to do!” Jega says.
His athletes have similarly remarkable stories. Ridzuan Puzi, who won a gold medal in the 100m sprint at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, credits his success to Jega’s guidance and care.
“When I won, Coach embraced me fully. You could tell that he was incredibly happy for me. Coach, I can never repay you for all that you’ve done,” Puzi once said, to which Jega’s humble response is: “I am just doing my job.”
Jega (left) receiving the Best Male Coach award at the National Sports Awards ceremony in 2017. — File pic
Even after his contract with the NSC ended in 2022, Coach Jega has continued to coach athletes – able-bodied, those with disabilities and those with autism – at his own sports club, Jega Athletic Club in Bandar Baru Bangi.
Coach Jega’s story goes beyond sports. His ability to inspire athletes, not just to win medals but to believe in themselves, reflects the true spirit of Deepavali.
Just as the festival symbolises the triumph of light over darkness, Jega’s work celebrates the victory of ability over disability, potential over limitations and hope over despair.
Let us all strive to be a guiding light in the lives of others, particularly those from minority or overlooked communities, and like Coach Jega, help them realise their own potential.
Watch Maybank’s Deepavali film The Lighthouse
