AL JUFFERI JUMARI suffered a shoulder injury in Hanoi that may force him to retire from silat but he is more concerned about his son who has cancer.
After losing 26-21 to Singapore's Abdul Raazaq Abdul Rashid in the class F (70-75kg) semi-final at the Bac Tu Liem Gymnasium yesterday, he said the defeat did not affect him as much as his son's plight.
"I'm really not too concerned with my result here. God knows best. I have gone through a lot which many people don't know about," he said.
"I had told myself that if I suffer from a serious injury, knee or shoulder, I will quit. Maybe this time God is showing me a sign."
Jufferi, who last won gold in class E (65-70kg) at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games, added: "I have to stay strong for my son who has cancer.
"Even now, I can only think of my son. He's only three. Every time I see him in the hospital, he is weak and tired. And every time I cry, he will console me and tell me he's doing okay.
"So when I suffer from a shoulder injury like the one I have now, I have to be strong for my son, that is why I continue to fight for him.
"I have discussed with doctors to see how serious my injury is. If it's bad, then I will talk to Datuk Megat Omardin (Malaysia Silat Federation president) to retire properly," added Jufferi, who sustained the injury in the quarter-finals on Saturday.
Also failing to reach the final yesterday was Fauzi Khalid in class G (75-80kg) following his 37-24 defeat to Vietnam's Nguyen Tan Sang.