SERDANG: A serious craving for nasi lemak nearly cost Mohd Firdaus Abdul Rahman his shot at Sukma glory but the Perlis discus thrower survived food poisoning to claim his first-ever Malaysia Games gold medal.
Competing under sweltering heat at the Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) Stadium yesterday, the 17-year-old produced the best throw of 44.32m, a new personal best.
His teammate and senior, Mohd Haziq Danial Hafizullah, took silver with 42.77m, while Sabah’s Syed Ali Syed Hamid claimed bronze with 41.03m.
The SMK Syed Hassan student had entered the competition with a personal best of 41.22m, set at the Chanthaburi Open in June.
But just days before the final, his preparations were disrupted by food poisoning.
“I just gave it my absolute best, especially since I was dealing with food poisoning just days before after eating nasi lemak.
“I suffered severe stomach pain starting Wednesday, and only felt better on the morning of the competition.
“I love nasi lemak, but I’ve learnt my lesson,” said Firdaus, a self-confessed admirer of national athlete Irfan Shamsuddin.
Firdaus said he had entered the competition with modest expectations.
“I am glad that I still competed. I didn’t even set a target for a medal. My main goal coming here was simply to set a new personal best.”
The teenager’s path to discus was almost accidental.
“When I entered secondary school, my intention was actually to play volleyball. An athletics coach noticed my long arms and guided me toward discus.
“In my first year, I threw 16m, but through sheer hard work and following my coach’s regimen, I managed to push my limits.”
Meanwhile, Mohd Imran Abdullah struck gold in the triple jump – his second of the Games after winning the long jump title on Tuesday.
The Terengganu athlete recorded a best jump of 15.25m, narrowly holding off Penang’s Ng Tak Sing (15.23m) while Negri Sembilan’s Ang Ming Feng took bronze (15.06m).
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