TOKYO, Nov 22 — The Malaysian contingent received a second chance when the men’s 4x400m team automatically advanced to the Deaflympics finals after two competing teams were disqualified and another did not finish in a dramatic turn of events at Komazawa Metropolitan Stadium today.
The national quartet, comprising Muhammad Zumar Azman, Muhammad Shahrul Azmer Azman, Azlan Kuste and Deaf SEA Games sprint king Muhammad Zamir Azman, recorded a time of 3:3.94s to finish third in the second heat of the first round, where they were previously in fifth place.
According to the qualification format, only the top three in each of the two heats followed by the two fastest times overall qualify for the final on Monday, maintaining Malaysia’s hopes of chasing a medal in the prestigious event.
Meanwhile, Shahrul Azmer, who was met by reporters, was in disbelief that the team is suddenly on the medal hunt, but said he wants to use this “miracle” to portray more courage when facing other giants in the final.
“It was just a surprise, but that’s okay, I will still give my best and fight hard with my teammates,” he said through a sign language interpreter here today.
Meanwhile, Azlan, who is the third runner, hopes Malaysians continue to pray for the team’s health when they compete in the finals.
“I hope the 4x400 is the best, (we need) everyone’s prayers especially so we are always healthy and a miracle happens,” he said.
Earlier, in the second heat, the Brazilian team did not finish the race while the United States and Venezuela were eliminated, paving the way for the Malaysian squad to the final.
