It’s safety first as sailors Khairulnizam and Shazrin have a storm to weather

PETALING JAYA: Sailors Khairulnizam Mohd Affendy and Nur Shazrin Mohd Latif are bracing for a tropical storm on their competition day today.

It is reported that tropical storm Nepartak is expected to hit at the Enoshima Yacht Harbour as to make the conditions more challenging for all the participants.

Shazrin, who will compete in the women’s laser radial, said waves could be as big as two metres high and the speed of the wind could be as fast as 64.82 km/h (35 knots).

“Based on the weather forecast, the storm is expected to hit between July 25 and 27. I’ve rarely trained under harsh conditions. It’ll be a struggle,” said Shazrin.

“The main thing is to avoid getting injured, that’s very important. Safety comes first. We’ll just have to keep our sail flat and end our race safely.

“We are used to light wind conditions but it’s all about adapting here. We have trained with lots of people. If I am consistent, nothing is impossible.

“The races, however, could be postponed too if the condition is hazardous for the sailors.

“We will just have to be mentally ready.”

She said that Europeans were used to harsh conditions.

“I expect sailors from Denmark (Anne Marie-Rindom) and Holland (Marit Bouwmeester) to have an advantage because they are experienced and skilled.”

Bouwmeester won the gold in the laser radial event at the 2016 Rio Olympics while Rindom took the bronze medal.