Malaysian athletes in high spirits at games Village

THE Malaysian athletes are in buoyant mood in the Games Village despite some of them having been here longer than the others.

And among them are sailors Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy who arrived in Rio on July 12 and Nur Shazrin Mohd Latif who landed in Rio on July 24. Their sailing events only start on Aug 14.

The cycling duo of Mohd Azizulhasni Awang and Fatehah Mustapa only arrived here yesterday after their month-long training stint in Portugal.

Where fatigue can creep in especially when expectations are high, the 32 athletes are taking on their challenges in good spirits.

Khairulnizam, making his second Olympic appearance after London 2012, merely offered a big smile when asked how he felt being in training and being away from home for a long time.

“To be a champion, you need to make sacrifices,” he said.

“I can’t deny that I miss my mother’s cooking and my friends ... It’s something that you have to live with.”

Chef de mission Tan Sri Muhammad Al Amin Abdul Majid said the athletes’ spirits were high in the camp but their main grouse is that they missed Malaysian food.

“Unfortunately, we can’t bring our own cook here as this is the Olympics,” he said.

Al Amin added that coming early to Rio was a wise decision as the athletes had now got over the jet-lag and are acclimatised to the weather and the venues.

Al Amin also revealed that badminton player Datuk Lee Chong Wei is like a big brother to the others as he has been cheering them up and giving them confidence and motivation.

“Every athlete likes to be with Chong Wei, jokes with him and takes selfies with him and on the other hand, Chong Wei is friendly and lends a ear to them,” he added.