SHAH ALAM, Sept 10 — Just nine months of serious training was enough for Selangor para swimmer Umar Abdul Rahman to spring a surprise by winning gold in the men’s 50m backstroke S4 event at the Malaysia Para Games (Para SUKMA) yesterday.
Making the victory even sweeter, Umar had not expected to reach the podium after seeing the strength of his competitors.
“I really didn’t expect to win a medal today because my time was 1:25. I wasn’t confident that I could get a medal because the others were fast too.
“But thanks to God, it was my good fortune to win gold today. It was meant to be for me to win this medal,” he said.
Umar admitted feeling nervous and intimidated before the race, particularly after seeing the abilities of his rivals.
However, he chose to put those feelings aside and focus fully on his performance.
“There were a lot of things going through my mind. I felt intimidated and afraid because I saw that the other competitors were fast too.
“Sometimes we do feel down, but as athletes, we just have to face it,” he said.
Umar said the achievement was particularly meaningful as he only began training in January before making his Para SUKMA debut about nine months later.
“I only started training this year, in January, and SUKMA is in September, so I’ve only trained for about nine months.
“Winning this medal feels like a once-in-a-lifetime experience. I really didn’t expect it,” he said.
Umar dedicated the victory to everyone who had supported him throughout his journey as an athlete, particularly his sister, whom he described as the backbone of his sporting career.
He said that besides helping him with transportation, his sister was also the person he turned to when he felt under pressure or lost motivation.
“This gold is for everyone who has supported me all this time — my family, the association, other athletes and everyone who has helped me.
“Most importantly, it’s for my sister. She has helped me a lot, both with transportation and mentally.
“Sometimes I feel down and I’ll talk to my sister about it. She’s the one who encourages me to keep swimming,” he said.
His parents’ prayers and blessings also gave him added motivation before the race, with Umar calling his mother to ask for her prayers before competing.
“Before the race, I called my mum and told her, ‘Umar is racing today, please pray for Umar to succeed.’ Thanks to God, Mum said she had performed solat hajat and prayed for me.
“She just told me, ‘Just do your best’,” he said.
Following his victory, Umar is now aiming to improve his time as he pursues a place at bigger competitions.
With his current time at around one minute 25 seconds, he is targeting a sub-one-minute swim to improve his chances of qualifying for the ASEAN Para Games, scheduled to be held in Malaysia next year.
