PARIS: Competing amid the overwhelming cheers of the audience at the Paris La Defense Arena made national para swimmer Muhammad Nur Syaiful Zulkafli feel nervous as he took part in the final of the men’s 100-metre (m) freestyle S5 (physical impairment) event today.
Muhammad Nur Syaiful finished sixth with a time of 1 minute 16.60 seconds (s).
Despite his nervousness, Muhammad Nur Syaiful said he still enjoyed the new experience, in stark contrast to competing without spectators at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre during his debut at the 2020 Paralympic Games.
“I’m satisfied with my swim this morning and this evening, but I’ve never experienced competing in front of such a large audience.
“Hearing the audience’s applause made me doubly, triply nervous. I saw the vibe (in the venue) was extraordinary; even during the heats, the crowd was huge,“ he told reporters in the mixed zone.
The time recorded by Muhammad Nur Syaiful in the final was an improvement, as he finished sixth overall from two heats with a time of 1:16.82s earlier today.
Ukrainian swimmer Oleksandr Komarov created a sensation by not only winning gold with a time of 1:07.77s but also breaking a 12-year-old event record held by Brazilian ace Daniel De Faria Dias (1:08.39s) from the London 2012 edition.
The silver medal was claimed by China’s Guo Jincheng with a time of 1:08.22s, setting a new Asian record, while the bronze went to Neutral Paralympic Athlete Kirill Pulver (1:09.41s).
Meanwhile, Muhammad Nur Syaiful, who hails from Sarawak, said he had begun to acclimate to the lively competition atmosphere here.
Having been partially paralysed following an accident at the age of 17, Muhammad Nur Syaiful hopes to manage his nervousness in his remaining two events: the men’s 100m breaststroke SB4 (physical impairment) on Sept 2 and the men’s 50m freestyle S5 on Sept 5.
Yesterday, the 29-year-old athlete had a shaky start as he failed to progress to the final, finishing ninth overall with a time of 2:52.67s in the men’s 200m freestyle S5 (physical impairment) heats.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, officially opened on Wednesday, will conclude on Sept 8.
