Veteran World Champion, Datuk Aloysius Sibidol

Datuk Aloysius Sibidol bin Duligin, one of Malaysia’s greatest athletes, passed away at the age of 90 on Wednesday, after suffering from pneumonia.

He was pronounced dead at 10.50pm at Hospital Mesra in Bukit Padang.

Sibidol leaves behind two wives, two sons, five daughters and 20 grandchildren.

A requiem mass will be held at 10am tomorrow at the Holly Nativity Church in Terawi, Penampang, before his funeral service at the Bolitus Cemetery in Penampang the following day.

According to family members, Sibidol was admitted to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital on December 13, last year after suffering from pneumonia.

He was able to make a recovery but was later admitted to Hospital Mesra where his condition worsened.

Sibidol was one of the greatest Malaysian athletes that ever lived.

His athletic career began to soar in the 1950s after he moved to Brunei to work for Shell.

During his time there, Sibidol took part in several Borneo Games championships where he competed in shot putt, discus and javelin events.

His ability to launch the shot putt further than any other athlete earned him the nick name Borneo Bomber.

Sibidol was the first man outside the Malayan Union to win a gold medal in the Malayan Athletics Championship in 1950.

He also held the State record from 1958 until Dandi Jamal of the Police from Tuaran broke it in 1977.

Sibidol also represented British North Borneo at the 3rd Asian Games in Tokyo in 1958.

In the mid-70s Sibidol was conferred the Datukship by then Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin.

He returned to Sabah in the 1980s and was appointed as a head coach for the State under the Sabah Sports Board.

Sibidol received his second Datukship from Tun Said Keruak in the mid to late 80s.

He was a world veteran records holder in his age group for discus and javelin.

Sibidol also became one of the world’s top ranked shot putters when he registered a record throw of 15.40m in the Men’s 60-64 5kg division in Singapore in 1984.

Prior to taking up shot putt, Sibidol was also quite a good high jumper where he was able to clear the bar at 5′10″.