Muhammad Shah Firdaus Heartbroken After Narrowly Missing Olympic Medal

From Vikneswaran Raman

PARIS, Aug 11 (Bernama) -- National track cyclist Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom has admitted that he needs time to come to terms with missing out on a medal and being relegated from the men’s keirin final at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

The 28-year-old rider from Muar, Johor, said he was confident of reaching the podium at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines National Velodrome today, having already prepared the things he needed for the medal ceremony.

His dream was almost within reach as he was in third place with about 25 metres left in the race. However, it was quickly shattered when he was hit by Japanese rider Shinji Nakano, causing him and Jack Carlin of Great Britain to crash.

Despite sustaining minor injuries after being dragged a few metres, the cyclist, known as ‘Shah The Terminator,’ got back up and pushed his bike across the finish line, ending the race in fourth place.

Unfortunately, adding insult to injury, he was relegated to sixth place for veering into the path of the Japanese rider.

“I was in a position to win a medal when I was already halfway past Nakano's bike, but suddenly my rear tire was hit. Then, the rider who was in sixth place, who had given up chasing (Matthew Glaetzer from Australia), finished the race in third place.

“Since this morning, I had set my mind that I could win a medal. If I hadn't challenged for a medal at all, I could accept that, but this is hard to swallow,” he said when met at his hotel.

The rider who won two bronze medals at last year’s Hangzhou Asian Games, however, expressed gratitude to the National Sports Institute (ISN) for their support in nursing shoulder and knee injuries he had still not fully recovered from.

Dutch champion Harrie Lavreysen emerged victorious in the event, claiming his third gold at Paris 2024 after winning the individual and team sprint events, while silver went to Australia's Matthew Richardson.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Shah Firdaus urged all parties not to criticise Nakano on social media, as the rider did not cause the crash intentionally.

Muhammad Shah Firdaus was Malaysia's final hope for adding a medal to the tally at Paris 2024, after Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang was disqualified in the first round of the event yesterday.

Malaysia concluded its Paris Olympic campaign with two bronze medals, one from Lee Zii Jia in the badminton men’s singles and the other from the men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik.

-- BERNAMA