SAILING ON THE WIND OF EXPERIENCE
Seasoned sailor Khairulnizam is better prepared after two Olympic appearances
KHAIRULNIZAM Afendy comes from a family of sailors, and he hopes to make them proud when he competes in his third Olympic Games in Tokyo.
The 28-year-old made the Olympic cut by winning the laser standard silver at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
But months after his success in Jakarta, the Covid-19 pandemic struck, and left his training plans in tatters.
The two-time Asian Games silver medallist was placed 47th in the laser class when he made his Olympic debut in London in 2012 and finished 35th five years ago at the Rio edition.
He believes he is now more experienced and better prepared to conquer the waves in Enoshima Yacht Harbour in Fujisawa.
“When I made my Olympic debut in 2012, I was only 19 years old. I am 27 now, so I am a bit more mature in the sense that I know how to deal with situations when I set sail for my event,” said Khairulnizam.
“I have learned a lot from my previous two Olympic appearances.
Khairulnizam Affendy (right) practising with other competitors ahead of the sailing events in Fujisawa. I even managed to improve my ranking after each outing. Since it is my third appearance, I want to improve my ranking again.
“Hopefully, I will be able to give the established sailors a run for their money in Tokyo.
“I had big plans after qualifying for the Olympics in terms of preparations, but the pandemic affected them. We could only go for one overseas stint and was forced to train at the National Sailing Centre in Langkawi.
“It was tough as we were under a bubble for a long time. We needed to adjust and adapt as quickly as possible.
“The only overseas stint we had was in Tenerife, Spain, in March. It was a good outing considering the circumstances.”
Khairulnizam is not the only sailor who will be competing in the Olympics.
He will be joined by Nur Shazrin Latif (women’s laser Radial) and Nuraisyah Jamil-Juni Karimah Noor Jamali (women’s International 470).
The quartet have had training sessions since arriving in Tokyo on July 8 at the Olympic venue and will start their respective campaigns on July 25.
“The sessions at the venue have been helpful. We are adapting to the conditions ahead of our events,” he added.
Malaysian sailors have never failed to qualify for the Olympics since the 1996 Atlanta edition.