NUR Syaiful Zulkafli's day at the Tokyo Paralympics was ruined by a piece of plaster.
The Malaysian para-swimmer was disqualified yesterday after clocking what would have been an Asian record of 2:59.01s in the men's 200m freestyle S5 heat at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.
All because he had used a "waterproof" plaster to cover up a boil on his left shoulder.
"It's very disappointing. I checked earlier with the officials and they said it was up to me whether to use it or not. I put the plaster on to avoid infection," said Nur Syaiful, who suffered deformity in both legs after being involved in an accident at the age of 17.
The 26-year-old Sarawakian, who was competing in the Paralympics for the first time, told Bernama that his inexperience led to him not checking with race officials (on the plaster) before his event.
"Before that, I was told by the doctor that my situation was 50-50, and I had the option to remove the plaster or vice versa.
"For today, the official who checked the equipment such as goggles, jacket and pants, before I went down to the pool also allowed me to perform. However, I was shocked by the referee's decision to cancel my participation, after they told me the use of plasters is strictly prohibited."
Nur Syaiful finished fifth out of six swimmers in the first heat which was won by Spanish swimmer Antoni Ponce Bertran.
However, Nur Syaiful can still make up for yesterday's disappointment when he competes in his pet event - the 50m freestyle on Sept 1.
Meanwhile, Malaysia's table tennis player Chee Chaoming lost 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 to Italy's Mohamed Kalem in their opening Group C (Class 9) encounter at the Tokyo Metropolitan Gymnasium.
Chaoming admitted that he felt nervous playing against his World No 6 opponent.
"Kalem, who is the 2016 Rio bronze medallist, is a very experienced player. I found it hard to match him."
The 24-year-old will face Great Britain's Joshua Stacey and Australian two-time gold medallist Ma Lin in his remaining group matches today.
The other Malaysians in action today are track cyclists Yusof Hafizi, who will compete in the 3,000m men's individual pursuit C1, as well as Zuhairie Ahmad Tarmizi and Hafiz Jamil who will line up for the men's 1,000m time trial C4-5 at the Izu Velodrome.