PUTRAJAYA: A spinal cord injury sustained three years ago will not deter national water skier Muhammad Syahir Asyraf Nasir from hunting a gold medal at the Kuala Lumpur 2017 SEA Games (KL2017) next month.
Muhammad Syahir, 19, who will be competing in the slalom event said he would still hunt for his first gold medal despite the confirmation of a small muscle tissue tear after a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan at the National Sports Institute (ISN).
“I suffered the injury when I was 16 and the pain can trigger at any time. After sometime, I could no longer take it, so I decided to refer to ISN specialists and they verified it was a small tissue tear.
“The injury may affect my preparations as doctors have advised me to rest but I am determined to compete,” he told reporters at the Pre-SEA Games Water Ski Championships here.
Commenting further, the national record holder with a time of 1.00/58/12.00 said all safety measures would be taken including a suggestion to wear a back aid at the biennial meet.
“I am determined to do my best but I would not risk my health. I will do whatever to make it safe for me to compete,” he added.
He said Singapore’s Mark Leong who was the gold medalist in the 2015 SEA Games would be his main challenger but remained optimistic of overcoming his rival. — Bernama