KUCHING: The Sarawak bodybuilding community is mourning the loss of one of its pioneers, Douglas Jerukan Kanyan, who passed away at Sibu Hospital on May 1.
He breathed his last at 11:18 pm at the age of 85.
Sarawak Bodybuilding Association (SBBA) expressed its deepest condolences to Douglas’ family, while describing Douglas as a remarkable figure in the history of Sarawak bodybuilding.
“Douglas made history as the first-ever Mr Sarawak Champion when the state-level competition was introduced in 1963 in Sibu,” the association said in a Facebook post.
SBBA also said, during his college years in New Zealand under the Colombo Plan Scholarship (1958-1961), Douglas clinched the Mr New Zealand title and was awarded the ‘Most Muscular Man’ title at the 1961 National Weightlifting Championships in Dunedin.
Beyond bodybuilding, they said Douglas was an accomplished educator, and a highly-contributing member of his community.
His contributions earned him the ‘Ahli Bintang Sarawak’ (ABS) state award in 2011.
In recognition of his legacy, the SBBA also honoured Douglas with the ‘Sarawak Bodybuilding Icon Award’ in 2023.
He is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, Catherine Abit, four children and three grandchildren.
