Sabah quake survivor overcomes serious injuries to get IPPT gold

Serious injuries he sustained years ago did not deter Arnaav Karan Chabria from going for the gold — in Individual Physical Proficiency Test (IPPT), that is.

He was one of the 29 students from Tanjong Katong Primary School on a leadership camp in Sabah, when the 6.0-magnitude quake struck the mountain they were trekking on June 5, 2015.

While Arnaav survived the subsequent landslide that day, seven of his schoolmates, two teachers and a Singaporean adventure guide did not.

Seven years later, the 18-year-old has overcome his serious injuries from the quake and achieved a gold award for his IPPT in Basic Military Training (BMT).

In a video shared by Basic Military Training Centre on June 3, Arnaav reflected on his long road to recovery while dedicating his achievement to the victims of the earthquake.

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Despite sustaining a broken collar bone, shoulder and upper arm, as well as internal damage to his ear from the quake, Arnaav said he did not want to use his injuries as an excuse for not being able to perform in BMT.

Arnaav shared: "My injuries took over a year to heal along with plenty of physiotherapy to gain mobility in my right arm again.

"Initially, I could barely do five push ups, but with hard work and resilience, I have managed to get to where I am today."

Surviving the quake has also helped him in the latter part of BMT during field camp, Arnaav explained.

"I constantly reminded myself that if I could survive the earthquake and walk through the aftermath for eight hours with multiple broken bones, then I can push through BMT at its toughest moments," he added.

chingshijie@asiaone.com