KUALA LUMPUR: National sailor Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy, who is set to make his fourth Olympic appearance, will have added motivation to perform well when his event starts at the Paris Olympics tomorrow.
For the first time, his family will be there to watch him compete in the men's dinghy (ILCA 7 class) which will be held at Marina Marseille.
Khairulnizam, 31, previously competed at London 2012, Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
"For my first three Olympic appearances, I was not able to bring my family over due to financial constraints and at Tokyo 2020 there were also Covid-19 restrictions," Khairulnizam told the National Sports Council (NSC) yesterday.
"Alhamdulillah, I have more means this time and am able to bring them here to watch me race. Insya-Allah, I will give it my all."
The world No. 16 is hoping to make it to the final for the first time but is being careful to not place unnecessary pressure on himself.
He previously placed 47th at London 2012, 35th at Rio 2016 and 28th at Tokyo 2020.
"I will focus on one race at a time and see how things go," said Khairulnizam.
"Sometimes when you think too much about your goals and set expectations too high, it can backfire. I have to race smart.
"I have to try my best to be consistent in each race."
Khairulnizam will compete in 10 races from tomorrow until Aug 5, after which the top-10 ranked sailors will advance to the medal deciding race on Aug 6.
His teammate Nur Shazrin Latif, who was the national contingent flag bearer during the opening ceremony together with diver Bertrand Rhodict Lises, will also open her campaign in the women's dinghy (ILCA 6) event tomorrow.