Shah Firdaus learns to cope without tourneys
PETALING JAYA: Malaysian track cyclist Mohd Shah Firdaus Sahrom is unable to test his competitive edge, no thanks to the lockdown in Melbourne because of the Covid-19.
But the 24-year-old Shah Firdaus is learning to live with the situation.
The Johor-born cyclist is the training partner to Azizulhasni Awang and is based in Melbourne under coach John Beasley.
Shah Firdaus is going to make his Olympic debut in Tokyo next year but it is an unprecedented situation with the likelihood of no international track competition taking place for the next six months because of the virus.
Melbourne has imposed a strict lockdown with a night curfew in place since August but is expected to ease the restrictions as the situation there improves.
Shah Firdaus has continued his training with Azizul under strict restrictions. They can’t travel beyond a 5km radius unless necessary.
Shah Firdaus is taking it all in his stride.
“I won’t lie. It has been tough, though over time I slowly got used to it,” said Shah Firdaus.
“I do miss having my teammates around. I would like to be in Malaysia with my friends and family.
“I understand that this situation is temporary and as my goal is to be at my best for the Tokyo Olympics next year, I will stay put here,” said Shah Firdaus, who is sponsored by Sime Darby Foundation.
“Melbourne is the perfect place for me to prepare myself. I must say in all of this, my coach John and my mentor Azizul have been crucial in helping me get through this challenging phase,” he added.
Shah Firdaus, who bagged silver in team sprint together with Azizul and Mohd Fadhil Zonis at the Indonesia Asian Games in 2018, qualified on merit for the Olympics through the world rankings which was finalised after the Track Cycling World Championships in Berlin in late February.
Shah Firdaus did not win a medal but he had a great outing at the world meet, setting a personal best of 9.609 seconds en route to reaching the last 16 in the sprint event.