Recovered and ready to strike gold

being the victim of a hitand-run accident a year ago, cyclist Muhd Nur Ridzuan Zainal is ready to make his mark at the Asian Para Games in Jakarta next week.

The 32-year-old Royal Malaysian Navy officer has vowed to fight for a gold medal when he partners Muhd Khairul Hazwan Wahab in the 4km tandem pursuit or 30km time trial. Ridzuan said he is relieved to know that he can still compete in races after recovering from a spine injury in the road accident.

The former national cyclist had suffered a crack in his lower spine after being the victim of a hit and run during training.

Though their coach has set bronze at the Asian Para Games as a target, Ridzuan aims to do better — winning gold in the 4km tandem pursuit or 30km time trial.

Ridzuan and Khairul want to upstage the top pairs from South Korea and Japan in the Asian meet.

Their confidence has been boosted by a gold medal in the individual tandem (B) pursuit in the recent Para Asian Track Championships.