PARIS: In his zeal to train for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Malaysian para swimmer Muhammad Nur Syaiful Zulkafli made a significant sacrifice by leaving behind his newborn son to pursue his dream.
Nur Syaiful said he only managed to spend a few days with his son Nashwan - now three months old due to a two-month-long training stint in China, followed by his participation in his second Paralympic Games here.
"I only had a few days with my wife (Fatin Husna Japar) in Sarawak until Nashwan was born, and then I had to go to China for training.
"After completing my training in China, I was only allowed to return home for two days to visit my family, including my son, before departing for Paris 2024," he told Bernama.
Earlier today, Nur Syaiful concluded his Paris 2024 Paralympic campaign by finishing seventh in the men's 50m freestyle S5 (physical impairment) final, recording a time of 34.34 seconds at the Paris La Defense Arena.
Nur Syaiful also competed in two other finals, finishing sixth in both the men's 100m freestyle S5 (1 minute 16.60 seconds) and the men's 100m breaststroke SB4 (1:46.71s).
The Sarawak-born swimmer expressed his desire to take a break upon returning home next week to spend time with Nashwan, whom he missed dearly.
Reflecting on his performance at Paris 2024, the 29-year-old acknowledged the difficulty of competing against the world's top swimmers in his class, who benefited from using their legs to enhance speed in the pool.
Relying solely on his upper body due to a disability in his legs that left him partially paralysed after an accident at the age of 17, Nur Syaiful admitted to struggling against the other competitors.
However, the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games gold medallist remains satisfied with his achievement of reaching the finals in all three events at Paris 2024.
"The association set a target for me to finish in the top five in the men's 50m freestyle S5, but I couldn't achieve it today. However, I did meet my KPI (Key Performance Indicator) of making it to the finals in all three events," he said.
– BERNAMA