Bernama
KUCHING: Despite living with disabilities, Kedah runner Arman Rosli never fails to help his mother sell kuih and nasi lemak in their village in Sik.
On Monday, Arman marked his Para Sukma Games debut by winning the men's 1,500m T36 (physical impairment) event at the Sarawak Stadium in Kuching.
Remarkably, Arman revealed he had no prior competition experience and had only trained twice before heading to Sarawak, as his coach chose him to represent the state at the last minute.
The 27-year-old described his victory as a "blessing" from helping his mother sell kuih and nasi lemak in their village. He had never competed in any local or international tournaments before.
"This medal is dedicated to my mother. I've never competed before, have no experience, and only trained twice before coming here.
"My mother told me I could win if I helped her. I didn't expect to win.
"I wanted to be a mechanic as I have a certificate, but my mother is the only one selling breakfast. My father passed away two years ago during the COVID-19 pandemic, so I helped her sell kuih," Arman told Bernama while holding back tears after his victory.
Arman won in 6:16.84s ahead of Perak's Mahfudz Mahzan (6:26.38) and Sarawak's Hishamudin Razali (7:02.37).
Kedah also celebrated another victory in the men's 1,500m T20 (physical impairment), with Nurdin Ibrahim winning in 4:21.26, breaking the previous record set by Haqeem Mustaqim from Perlis in 2018.
The silver and bronze went to Fakrul Azimi Mohd Sukimi of Kelantan (6:26.58) and Ku Danish Syazwan Ku Harmizan of Selangor (7:33.57), respectively. – BERNAMA