JOHOR BARU: For swimmer Khairul Razi Suliman, who is blind in his left eye, every stroke in the pool is carefully counted to compensate for his limited vision.
The 28-year-old said he counts his strokes while swimming, a technique he has developed to help gauge his distance and position in the lane.
“It is a demanding routine, and I have to be extra focused with my right eye, which has about 50% vision.
“I have come to rely on counting my strokes because it gets even harder to see when my goggles fog up while swimming.”
Khairul Razi, from Batu Pahat, was born with normal vision but developed a nerve problem while in Form Four that left him with visual problems.
He went on to learn Braille at the Malaysian Association for the Blind in Kuala Lumpur, where he was also introduced to sports for the blind community.
His friend later encouraged him to take up swimming in 2018, where he caught the attention of a National Sports Council officer who saw his potential and began coaching him.
“I started from zero as I did not know how to swim competitively, but I was willing to learn,” said Khairul Razi, who went on to make his Para Sukma Games debut in Perak in 2018, winning two gold medals and one silver.
He continued to make his mark, winning three golds and one silver at the 2022 Para Sukma in Kuala Lumpur before delivering his best performance yet at the 2024 edition in Sarawak with four gold medals.
As he prepares for the Para Sukma in Selangor to be held from Sept 7 to 10, Khairul Razi is targeting another four golds in the 50m freestyle, 100m breaststroke, 100m freestyle and 100m backstroke events.
For fellow Johor para swimmer Wee Shi En, 18, the swimming pool has become a place where she discovered confidence and a greater sense of freedom despite suffering from cerebral palsy.
Wee, from Muar, said she started swimming in December following her doctor’s recommendation to move her limbs more to help with her condition.
“At first, I found it challenging to stay afloat. But with guidance from my coach, I learned the right techniques and was able to move my limbs to stay afloat and move around.
“It will be my debut for the Para Sukma Games and I hope to get good results in two events.”
Johor Para Swimming Association president Alwiyah Talib said she hopes the seven swimmers, aged between 13 and 28, representing the state in the games would not only clinch medals but achieve better personal best times.
She said in the 2024 Para Sukma Games in Sarawak, Johor sent five swimmers who returned with six gold medals and one silver.
“We hope to create more awareness of para sports and highlight our athletes’ achievements so the government and relevant organisations will give greater emphasis to para athletes,” she said.
