Chen Jet fails to take off after jetski collision
IT’S an Asian Games to forget for Tee Chen Jet.
Despite having to make do with a rented jetski, Chen Jet arrived in Indonesia hoping to bring home a good result – and perhaps a medal.
But his debut ended horribly when Chen Jet’s rented jetski was damaged after colliding with the one driven by Min Mustan of Cambodia in the pre-final Moto4 run at Ancol Beach yesterday.
Chen Jet was forced to withdraw from the final Moto4 race won by Ali Allanjawi of the United Arab Emirates.
His struggle even started before the Games for the 25-year-old, who makes a living as a jetski mechanic based in Kuala Lumpur.
“It has been tough coming here. The OCM (Olympic Council of Malaysia) told us to source our funds,” said Chen Jet.
“We managed to raise some funds, thankfully, but it was not enough to cover the cost of bringing the jetski here.
“It would’ve cost us about RM70,000, including fees for documentation with the customs.
“I made arrangements to hire a jetski from the Indonesian association here but it cost US$1,000 (RM4,000) a day, including the engine, for the entire competition.
“The boat was not in its best condition and the base was leaking, so I could not go as fast as I wanted.
“Now it is damaged and I need to find ways to fix it before another race (ski dodified) tomorrow,” said Chen Jet, who is the 2017 World Cup overall champion.
Jetski is making its debut in the Asian Games and that was the only reason why Chen Jet did not want to miss it.
“I had thoughts of not coming if we did not raise enough funds. But, I wanted to give it a shot too. It’s really an expensive sport if there are no sponsors.”