Hazim a ‘winner’ for his sport

Shahrum’s participation in the Asian Games in Palembang is already a huge ‘victory’ for roller skating in Malaysia as the sport does not get much support in the country.

However, the 18-year-old could have helped the sport get more recognition had he used the right strategy in yesterday’s men’s 20km road race event.

His decision to break away early in the race saw him crashing out in the 29th lap at the Jakabaring Sports City (JSC) Roller Skate Circuit.

It is still a respectable performance considering that the national skaters hardly participate in international meets.

“I tried to break away, lap my rivals and recover, but I made a mistake by following the pace of India’s Amitesh Mishra and Harshveer Singh Shekon when they sprinted for the second time. I thought they (other skaters) would not chase me, but everyone was on guard today (Friday) and I got burned out.

“If I had played the waiting game like others, probably I would have finished sixth or seventh. But I gave it a shot and took some risks for a chance of winning a medal,” he said yesterday.

Taiwan’s Tsu Cheng Chao bagged the gold medal after finishing the 52-lap race in 33 minutes and 51.418 seconds, followed by South Koreans Choi Gwang-ho (33:51.653s) and Son Geun-seong (33:51.967s).

Meanwhile, Malaysia Roller Sports Association president Idroose Tambarin said the lack of facilities in the country is affecting the development of the sport.

"However, the Asian Games outing is a good start for us because the development of this sport requires international exposure. If they only practice and compete among themselves, they may think being the hero of the village is good, and will not be able to judge their true potential.

"In Malaysia, many do skating as a recreational activity, but only about 200 people are involved in competitive events.

“Facilities are important. Our skaters train in public parks and this increases the risk of injuries,” he said.