PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s top sepak takraw tekong Mohd Syahir Mohd Rosdi is confident he will be given the green light to compete at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games next week.
The 30-year-old said he feels about 90% ready after recovering from a muscle tear in his right calf, but knows time is running out with the team set to depart for the Games soon.
"Right now I don’t feel 100% yet but I'm feeling confident enough to compete again," said Syahir when met at a Sepak Takraw League (STL) Community Project on Saturday (Sept 12).
“It’s a big difference compared to how I was feeling a few weeks ago or even in the past few months because my services were not consistent.
"But thankfully in the recent weeks I feel better and can see improvements in my game."
Syahir added that he needs to primarily work on his fitness to get himself back to the level required to compete against the continent’s best.
National coach Ahmad Jais Baharun said Syahir has been progressing well, but added that the team have a backup plan in case the player is deemed unfit to compete.
“In terms of his progress after several rehabilitation sessions with the National Sports Institute (NSI), his recovery and fitness level have been improving,” he said.
"We can see that his momentum is doing well. It’s a positive development for both Syahir and the team.
"But in case Syahir can’t play, we have discussed that as well. We will have to make some changes based on the team’s capability, but we hope the team stay consistent and able to give a positive result in Japan."
