According to the report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Nov 24 last year, over one billion people in the world live with some form of disability.
“This corresponds to about 15 percent of the world’s population, of whom 2 to 4 percent experience significant difficulties in functioning,” it said.
It clarified that the number of people experiencing disability is increasing due to a rise in chronic health conditions and population ageing.
However, despite the matter of fact, it does not stop people with disabilities from thriving beyond their limit and achieving their dreams.
Taking the Paralympics athletes as an example, the enthusiasm and effort shown by them are mesmerising.
Moreover, the beauty of the Paralympics is that it provides a much-needed platform for athletes with disabilities to showcase their talents at the highest level.
Scoping it down to our proud Sarawak, it is undeniable that our Paralympics athletes do not fall short in the Para-athletics as they are able to represent and win medals for the nation on the world stage.
According to Sarawak Paralympics SUKMA Contingent Coordinator Mathew Chin Hiong Choi, the State’s para athletes are ‘built differently’ compared to the ones from other states.
“Our para athletes have a very strong fighting spirit and are more ‘tahan lasak’ compared to other states.
“This is all thanks to the fact that Sarawak has always been taking care of their athletes,” he said.
Following this, he pointed out that the para athletes here are well maintained all thanks to the Ministry of Women, Early Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development.
“As an officer in the ministry, I was tasked to make sure that these athletes are well taken care of.
“That is why we have a continuous training programme for them and they are also given an allowance so that they are not under financial pressure,” he added.
Sarawak Athletes Bringing Glory Home
Ever since we are entering the endemic phase, championships have started to be hosted worldwide after being halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
One of them is the recently concluded 11th Asean Para Games in Solo, Indonesia (July 30 to Aug 5) where Malaysia managed to win 69 medals and was placed fourth after competing against 11 nations.
The said championship brought joy for Sarawak as all of its seven representatives successfully brought medals home.
They are Fraidden Dawan who won three gold; Muhammad Nur Syaiful (two gold and one silver); Mohd Adib Iqbal (two gold medals and one silver); Wiro Julin (one gold); Nicodemus Manggoi Moses (two gold); Bryan Junancey Gustin (one gold, and one silver); and Sona Agon (two bronze).
In fact, two new championship records were also recorded during the Games which are men’s 100 meter breaststroke SB8 by Muhammad Nur Syaiful and men’s 100 meter breaststroke SB14 by Mohd Adib.
For this, the New Sarawak Tribune managed to meet with the swimmer gold medalists (Mohd Adib Iqbal, Muhammad Nur Syaiful Zulkafli, and Mohd Adib Iqbal) to share on their achievements.
Fraidden Dawan, 36, from Bintulu shared that he was over the moon on winning the gold medals (men’s 200m individual medley SM10, men’s 100m butterfly S10, men’s 400m freestyle S10) in the 11th Asean Para Games.
“I have done my best and made use of all the opportunities available when I participated in the Games for the sake of Malaysia and Sarawak in particular.
“To be able to shine on the world stage and bring glory in the name of Malaysia is an honour to me,” he said.
Following this, he shared throughout his journey, it is extremely difficult to be separated from his family, however, it was something that he needed to do to succeed at this level.
“As a father of two, there were times during training where I had family matters that concerned me. The situation challenged me mentally and physically.
“But with the fighting spirit, commitment, and solid support from my family, I was able to get through it.
“Not to mention, the training programmes organised by the National Sports Council (NSC) and State Sports Institute had also helped me to reach up to this point,” he said.
Adding on, he stated that his achievement will not stop here. For that, he will continue training to defend his victory and participate in other tournaments.
“I am sure there will be obstacles and challenges along the way but I am confident that I can overcome it physically and mentally,” he said.
When asked about how he started his journey as a swimmer, Fraidden shared that it started all the way in 2004.
“I remember that time, I joined a vocational radio TV course at Samarahan Rehabilitation Centre for two years.
“In 2004, the State Welfare Department at the time organised a mini sport for the disabled and I took the opportunity to join the swimming competition.
“From that, they noticed that I have the potential to go further, hence, the Malaysian Paralympic Council absorbed me to be part of their team until today,” he reminisced.
With all the opportunities that he experienced first hand, he urged those who are interested to join sports to pursue it, even if they have disabilities.
“There is no harm in trying. Joining Para-athletics especially has its own advantages. You will be sorted out to certain classes depending on the disability that you have.
“From there, you will be training to compete in the sports that you want,” he said.
Meanwhile, for Nur Syaiful, 27, he was overjoyed that he was able to bag medals this year (two golds – men’s 100m Freestyle S5, men’s 50m freestyle S5 and silver – men’s 200m Freestyle S5) after the tournament had been postponed for two times.
“Alhamdulillah after all the challenges and training, my prayers along with my trust and faith in God’s provision have rewarded me with this achievement. It was overwhelming for me when our National Anthem was sung when I was on the podium
“With the winnings that I obtained, I won’t stop my journey here. My next target is to win gold medals in 50m and 100m freestyle in the Games that will be held in Cambodia,” said the 24-years-old
The swimmer who is from Asajaya further shared that his journey all began when he had an accident at the end of 2013 and was paralysed due to a spinal cord injury in his T12 and N2.
According to him, after he was diagnosed as such, his parents decided to take him to the Samarahan Rehabilitation Centre.
“That is where I met an Iban friend who asked me ‘sikmok masok sukan kah?’. At first I was confused and questioned: are there really sports for the disabled?
“In my defence, I don’t watch sports other than swimming,” he chuckled.
He said that his desire to become a national athlete began to peak in 2016 after watching Ridzuan Puzin win a gold medal in the Rio Paralympic Games.
“His achievement gave me motivation to keep on trying to reach that level,” he said.
He added that his dream began to realise when he participated in the Malaysian Games (SUKMA) in 2016 where he represented Sarawak. He managed to win one silver and one bronze medal.
“In December 2016, I received an offer from NSC to become a full-time athlete. At that time, there was a coach who said I had the potential to succeed.
“Thanks to the motivation from the national swimming coach, I became more motivated to work hard and achieve higher goals,” he added.
In light of this, he advised the youth to not give up on venturing in the sports field that they like.
“Don’t be afraid. As long as you give your best and even lose along the way, it does not mean you are not meant to be champion.
“All you need to do is learn from your mistakes and push on to achieve your goals,” he said.
And of course for Mohd Adib too, he felt overwhelmed after winning two gold (men’s 50m breaststroke SB14, and men’s 100m breaststroke SB14) and one silver medal (men’s 200m individual medley SM14) while breaking a new record.
“I am glad that my efforts to reach this level did not go to vain. For me to achieve this, there are various challenges that I have to face such as being separated from my family for the sake of realising the dream to bring back gold for my home country.
“My plan after this is definitely to strive further and hunt for golds in the Games that will be held in Cambodia,” he said.
When asked about the biggest challenges that he had faced, the 24-years-old shared that it was when he had shoulder pain amid the tournament.
“I remember that I had to endure the pain until I reached the finishing line. Alhamdulillah I was able to overcome it thanks to the prayers from my parents as well as the encouragement and support from the coach and my teammates,” he said.
Similar to everyone, the eldest child of the six siblings also shared the beginning of his story.
According to him, his interest started way back when he was in elementary school when he and his village friends often swam at the river in their kampung.
“From there, my love for swimming arose. However, my talents were noticed when I entered high school where a teacher was looking for a school representative for the swimming event.
“Alhamdulillah I was selected and won the competition. From that point on, I was scouted and I continued my training under the guidance of an experienced coach.
“As a result, I was qualified to join the swimming team representing Sarawak in the SUKMA Para Games,” he said.
Adding on, Mohd Adib revealed that there is no ‘shortcut’ or strategy for him to be at this level aside from giving his all and keeping in mind what was taught by the coach on the techniques and how to control breathing.
Sharing his advice to the youth who aspire to be athletes, he said that failure is just another beginning.
“Don’t be afraid to venture and participate in the sports that you like and you lose, don’t despair. Because failure is a catalyst and a booster for us to continue to rise in order to achieve the success that we have been dreaming about,” he said.
A coach behind their glory
Being a coach is not easy especially if you are a Para-athletics coach.
For one to be Para-athletics coach, they have to have high patience to be there for their athletes from their lowest points to their glory days.
Taking coach R. Jaganathan for example, his close relationship with his athlete national sprinter Ridzuan Puzi was well known, and he (Ridzuan) sees him like a father figure.
Their achievement together throughout years had created an unbreakable bond for Ridzuan after being under him since 2008.
As reported by the Astro Arena early this year, Jeganathan’s contract which was not renewed had made Ridzuan break down in tears upon hearing the news.
However, the following month, a decision was made by NSC and Malaysia Para-Athletics Association (MPAA) to give him a new contract, albeit a new role.
As reported in the New Straits Times on Feb 4, Jaganathan expressed that he is happy to be able to continue contributing.
“Throughout my career, my charges have won almost every gold medal from the Asean Para Games to the Paralympics, and I have also won (national) para coach of the year a few times.
“I think it is time for me to develop young coaches. Anyone can become a coach, but not everyone can be a good leader.
“Plenty of coaching certificates have been issued, but how many of these coaches are willing to take on a role in para-sports?
“I was a coach for able-bodied athletics from 1981-2001, so I know that being a para coach is different and harder,” he said.
Now, highlighting the glory behind our three swimming gold medalists, National Swimming coach Li Xin Xin from China shared that she has been training them since 2016.
“To me, being a para coach does not come with many challenges but one must have a lot of patience.
“What amazes me being their coach is that despite them being disabled, it does not stop them from overcoming the challenges that they are facing.
“They love to prove themselves that they are just as good and capable. All they want us to believe is that they are more than capable of achieving their goals.
“For that, I would like to thank their previous coaches either at the national or state level for spotting the talents of all these Malaysian swimmers,” she said.
Along the line, she pointed out that there are many Para athletes in Sarawak who have the potential to stand out following the support and commitment given by the Sarawak Government in taking care of their athletes.
“In fact, personally for me, it does not matter whether the athletes are from Sarawak or elsewhere, they are all special.
“They may have difficulties and shortcomings compared to other people, but with the right support and platform, I believe all of them are also able to show their abilities,” she said.
Following this, Li urged those who aspire to be part of the para athletes to come and join the sports as long as they are ready.
“We will take the challenge to train them no matter what their disabilities are. For para coaches, all we need is patience to train them.
“I hope from hereon, there will be more para athletes to come and join us. We need to develop more athletes to join the national team,” she added.
