I was 16 years old when I got introduced to the sport. I remember very clearly the day I got intrigued by an armwrestling table. I was at a tutor’s house and saw the table - and wondered “what is this contraption?” That’s when Dr. Andrew Wong (my tuition teacher or tutor) told me what it was called and what it was for.

OFFICIAL RESULTS AFA ASIAN ARMWRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP 2022 MALAYSIA

I fell in love with Armwrestlin...

That’s all it took. One look at a table and a hundred questions later - I started training for the sport with Dr Andrew Wong. I fell in love with the sport and decided to go for my first competition that year itself and although I didn’t place the experience was all I needed to make it a life long journey. I try to educate younger armwrestlers about joining competitions because a lot of the youths that we’re training have this mindset that they should only compete when they are “strong enough”. I believe that if you’re serious in the sport, you should join as many competitions as you can to identify what method works for you, what methods don’t work for you and what your strengths and weaknesses are.

Asian Champion

When we’re talking about achievements, I’d include every single experience whether they’re wins or losses because they are what shapes an athlete to be better and stronger. But let me also list down some of my biggest achievements. I was 3 times national champion but if you count the left and right it’s technically 6 times national champion - 3 times left hand and 3 times right hand. The next set of achievements include being the 2019 Malaysian open champ and the 2021 National Overall Champion.

Ofcourse the recent one makes this list - I made it as the Asian Champion for both categories, left and right. Then I successfully went on to become the overall champion for the left category.

I’d say that the most interesting thing about my career involves the day to day life agendas of being an athlete in the Armwrestling Sport. That includes the serotonin and adrenaline I get when in the process of preparing for competitions and just training in general - its fun. However, motivation itself doesn’t do the trick - discipline and consistency has to be part of the equation as well.

Training allows me to have the chance to try out different kinds of training methods - and i know that sounds monotonous but trust me when I say that I find all these little things interesting. The fact that I am able to travel and meet new people who are likeminded in the sport is also very interesting.

My life pretty much revolves around the gym

Sometimes being an athlete can be very lonely but having a community of people who knows the sport, understands it and is very passionate in it as well definitely makes it something to look forward to, something worth all the effort. I especially take pride in seeing the sport grow and evolve - especially since this sport is also part of my culture here in Borneo, Malaysia. This is just an fyi - Armwrestling is called “Mipulos” in Kadazan or “Milokud” in Dusun and it is considered a traditional game that takes place during Pesta Kaamatan which is the Harvest Festival.
Besides being an armwrestler, I am also a Freelance Personal Trainer and I am also an Armwrestling Coach. My life pretty much revolves around the gym - and that might seem a little excessive but I enjoy it.

PeSzy: Thank you for the interview and I hope to meet you at the World Cup.

Calveen Petrus: Greetings readers!