THE Land of the Hornbills has produced many notable athletes but two names stand out among sports fans.

       One is sprinter Watson Nyambek, who burst onto the regional scene in 1994 with impressive results at the Asean Schools Championships in Singapore to become the fastest schoolboy in South-East Asia.

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       He raced to a 100m gold and also won silver medals in the 200m and 4x100m.

       The Miri native eventually earned the nickname, The Flying Dayak.

       In 1995, Watson achieved a new high in his career by clocking 10.31s at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) to break Datuk Dr M. Jegathesan’s 29-year national record of 10.38s in the 100m dash.

       He did even better three years later, smashing his own record not once but twice, first running 10.31s at the Pahang Open athletics championships, followed by 10.3s at the pre-Commonwealth Games athletics championships at the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

       “Watson Nyambek proved that he is still the sprint king of Malaysia when he scorched the tracks to set a new national 100m record,” The Star reported on July 14, 1998.

       His 100m record would stand for the next 18 years.

       It was finally broken in the 2016 Sukma when Melaka sprinter Khairul Hafiz Jantan clocked 10.18s at the Sarawak Stadium.

       Journalist and avid sports fan Joseph Kaos Jr is proud to lay claim to the fact that he attended St Columba school in Miri, just like Watson.

       The Flying Dayak was 10 years his senior, though.

       “When Watson became famous, I was still in primary school but we all knew that he attended the secondary school next door. It was hard not to know of him then. He appeared in our local newspapers (Borneo Post and Sarawak Tribune) all the time.

       “When he broke the national record, it felt unreal that someone could run that fast. This was way before Usain Bolt,” he quipped.

       And Watson’s representation in the 1998 Commonwealth Games was a huge thing, Kaos said, as he competed against some of the best sprinters in the world.

       “He didn’t progress far, but I remember adults talking about how they made a bit of money on 4D from his shirt number,” he quipped.

       Diving sensation Pandelela Rinong Pamg is, of course, the other big name from Sarawak.

       Kaos, who is a Bidayuh like Pandelela, said: “To me, there isn’t a more illustrious Bidayuh person in history than Pandelela. She has two Olympic medals, and she also just won the Diving World Cup! She has an aquatic centre in Kuching named after her.

       “Her achievements are truly inspiring to Malaysians of all backgrounds, especially because of her humble roots. I’m sure all Bidayuh are very proud when asked about Pandelela.”

       Kaos recalled how his family woke up in the early hours to watch Pandelela during the London 2012 Olympics, in which she won the bronze medal.

       “At that time, Malaysia had only ever won one bronze Olympic medal from badminton a long time ago. So when Pandelela won, she was also the first Malaysian female Olympic medallist. It was a truly proud moment.

       “Just watching her on the podium and the Malaysian flag being raised was surreal. And it was made sweeter seeing her on the front cover of The Star the following day.”

       As for the just-concluded Tokyo Olympics, Kaossaid he had diligently followed the progress of Pandelela and other Malaysian athletes.

       “Although Pandelela did not win any medal this time around, it was still an impressive outing and I’m very proud of how far she’s come. She’ll always be our diving queen,” he said.