KUALA LUMPUR, May 11 — National para swimmer Muhammad Nur Syaiful Zulkafli has set his sights on defending the two gold medals he won at the 11th Asean Para Games (APG) in Solo, Indonesia last year when he competes in this year’s edition in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from June 3 to June 9.
The 28-year-old said although he will be competing in five events in Phnom Penh, his target is to set new records en route to defending the gold medals in the men’s 50-metre (m) freestyle and 100m freestyle events in the S5 (physical impairment) category.
The Sarawak-born swimmer will also be competing in the 200m freestyle, 50m breaststroke and 50m backstroke events in the same category.
“My personal target is to win two gold medals. At the same time, I also intend to set a new personal best in the 50m freestyle, which now stands at 33.41 seconds (s),” he told Bernama during a training session at the Malaysian Paralympic Sports Excellence Centre in Kampung Pandan, earlier today.
Muhammad Nur Syaiful, however, admitted that it will not be plain sailing for him in Phnom Penh, as most of his rivals from the 11th APG in Solo will be in action in Cambodia.
At the 11th APG, the national swimming camp excelled by contributing 18 out of the 36 gold medals the Malaysian contingent won.
— Bernama
