Electronics engineering student, Gary Leon Robert, 22 (pic), was found dead near Shah Alam stadium a day after completing the King of the Road Run, organised by Adidas last Sunday.

He was reported missing after collapsing at the finish line. A video recording of him fainting has been circulating on the Internet.

“It’s shocking and bizarre at the same time because he was a fit person,” said housemate and best friend, Ramesh Manimaran, 22.

“He participated in the run with two friends and they made plans to meet back at the parking lot after the run. They waited for one-and-a- half hours but there was no sign of him,” added Ramesh.

Upon learning the news that he was missing, family members and friends started a search. Many online
threads were started by friends immediately after but the search ended when a body was found at the construction waste dump site at the stadium’s basement the next day.

“It doesn’t make sense! Knowing him personally, he wouldn’t have gone there alone, especially after collapsing earlier. And the place where his body was found was just opposite the medic camp and it isn’t near at all,” said Ramesh.

Facebook’s statuses were also flooded with the search and news of finding him.

Another friend Hafisz Faiesall, 22, described Gary as a very promising guy and an all-rounder. “It just saddens me because he was a really good friend. I’ve known him for more than five years and I certainly did not see any of this coming,” he said.

“When I arrived at the office and got myself online on Facebook, I was really horrified with my friends’ status updates. I kept on praying that it wasn’t true,” he added.

Ramesh told Malay Mail that Gary was a kind-hearted, happy and great person to be around citing that: “He was a very gentle person and extremely close to his family. In short, any parents would want him as their son.”

An unidentified person, who participated in the run also lent a helping hand by alerting the public. He posted
a blog and uploaded a video of Gary passing out at the finish line.

He also provided his readers with details of Gary’s features, identification number, shirt number and what he was last seen wearing before he disappeared.

Second of three siblings, Gary was the only boy in the family and loved sports.

He was associated with the Selangor Football Club and attended University of Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN). The marathon marked his first time running a 22km race.

According to another unidentified witness: “Gary was last seen on a stretcher due to over exhaustion in the stadium being carried to the medic camp.”

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