Rio Olympians and paralympians pose for a group photo during the incentive presentation ceremony. Bernama Photo
KUALA LUMPUR: National paralympic long jump coach Mohd Syahrul Amri Mohd Suhaimi is fired up to train and produce more international class athletes from among the country’s paralympic sports potentials.
He received RM330,000 under the National Sports Council’s Coach Incentive Scheme for his role in Abdul Latif Romly and Siti Noor Radiah Ismail’s achievement in the High Jump T20 (learning disability category) at the Rio Paralympic Games in Brazil.
The amount is the highest ever awarded to a coach in the country.
“I am very grateful to the government for the incentive, and I also credit the two athletes under my charge for winning medals for the country.
“This incentive is the best gift for my wife and children and family, who had supported me all this while,” he told reporters when met after the incentive presentation to Olympic and Paralympic 2016 medallists on Oct 8 night.
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak presented the incentives at the ceremony held at a hotel here.
Also present were Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor and Youth, and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and his wife Nori Abdullah.
On what he would do with the money, Mohd Syahrul Amri said he would probably bring his family to perform Umrah.
Meanwhile, he said his focus for Abdul Latif and Siti Noor Radiah would be on the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Athletics World Championships in England on July 14-23, next year, and ASEAN Para Games next Sept 17-23.
“Actually, I only gave two weeks’ leave to Abdul Latif and Siti Noor Radiah and didn’t expect that they would be so occupied with attending appreciation ceremonies for their achievements.
“I would most likely conduct intensive training for them when these events are finally over,” he said. – Bernama