KUALA LUMPUR, June 20 -- Every sporting triumph has its heroes. The player who scores the winning goal, the shuttler who lands the decisive smash and the cyclist who crosses the finish line first.

Yet behind every headline that sparks national pride stands another group of individuals whose names quite rarely make the front page - sports journalists entrusted with turning fleeting moments into lasting memories on the back page.

For decades, they have worked from press boxes, mixed zones and media centres, documenting the highs and lows of Malaysian sports while racing against unforgiving deadlines.

Few understand that responsibility better than former Bernama sports desk chief Tham Choy Lin, who spent more than a decade covering some o...