Thursday October 7, 2010
Aricco’s mother celebrates son’s gold medal and first grandchild
By MUGUNTAN VANAR
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KOTA KINABALU: It was a double joy for 52-year-old schoolbus driver Emily Sabin when her youngest son Aricco Jumitih won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games and her daughter Agnes gave birth to a baby girl. Emily’s joy had a tinge of sadness though as her late husband Fred Jumitih Thau was not around to see Aricco win the 62kg category weightlifting gold medal in New Delhi on Tuesday or witness the birth of their first grandchild Sheryn Britny, hardly 24-hours earlier.
“I am very happy but also feel sad that my husband is not here as he had always been very proud of Aricco’s success,” said Emily as she helped her daughter care for the newborn child at their home in Kampung Madsiang near Menggatal about 25km from the city here yesterday.
Proud family: Emily showing a news report about Aricco’s success to her daughter Agnes, who is holding Sheryn Britny, and her son-in-law Venus Lairing.
The mother of six said that her husband had always wished to see Aricco take part in a major championship but he could not make it to the 2006 Sukma in Terengganu as he developed a fever. “He died about the time Aricco was competing in the games and won a gold,” said Emily who missed watching the feat live on Tuesday. “I was told the weightlifting event would be held at about 11pm (Tuesday) but I came to know from friends in the evening that my son had won the gold. I kept messaging him but there was no reply.
“Aricco used an official’s phone to call me and started to joke that he did not contest and then went on to say he came sixth. “I knew he was playing the fool with me and I told him everyone in the village knew he had won,” said Emily who later watched a re-run of the event. Emily was initially against her son’s decision to take up weightlifting when he was 12 years old.
“I only let him continue after his elder brother told me that it’s better for him to be involved in such activities instead of doing wrong things,” she said, adding that Aricco enrolled in the Bukit Jalil Sports School and only used to come back three times a year.
