Swimming trio affirm the value of family support

KUCHING (Sept 23): Is it any wonder that all these three brothers from Kapit – Donny, Julius and Stanley Jaranding – agree that strong family support is the key behind any individual success? According to Donny, there is no better support a para athlete could get than from the family.

“Whatever achievement that we have is thanks to the support from our family,” he explained to reporters today.

The second of four siblings, Donny, emerged victorious in the men’s 100-meter freestyle (S13) with a time of 1:18:00. Julius and Stanley rounded up the first day of swimming competition with silver and bronze respectively in the 100m freestyle (S12).

Donny also shared that his victory was especially meaningful as it marked his final appearance at the Para Sukma due to age restrictions.

“I am overjoyed and incredibly grateful to my coach and family for their unwavering support through the years. This gold medal is dedicated to them, especially my parents, who have always stood by us since we first joined the Para Sukma,” he said.

Donny, who initially competed in track and field from 1998 to 2016, switched to the pool in 2018.

“I’ve grown to love swimming and this has become my sport. I also hope my siblings will continue to give their best for Sarawak,” he added.

Both Julius and Stanley compete in the S12 category while Donny is in S13. Para Sukma athletes are classified based on physical, visual or intellectual impairments. Swimmers with physical impairments compete in designated categories from S1-S10 with lower numbers indicating more severe disabilities.