KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — National para cyclist (sighted pilot) Nur Suhada Zainal is hoping to qualify for the Tokyo Paralympics in tandem cycling with partner Nur Azlia Syafinaz Mohd Zais.
(Tandem is a para-cycling classification for cyclists that requires a sighted pilot for a non-sighted rider.)
Lance Corporal Nur Suhada said their success in bagging three gold medals at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia had fueled their desire to try and seal a spot in Tokyo.
The duo also won three gold medals at the 2019 Asian Para-Cycling Track Championships in Indonesia.
Nurul Suhada said the national para-cycling squad still had a chance to qualify for Tokyo Paralympics through several international championships next year.
“The fact that our coach (Johari Nayan) has targeted a slot for the tandem event has also motivated us to do our best to earn a spot in the Paralympics next year,” she told Bernama today.
She said the national para-cycling squad has undergone training under the Road to Tokyo (RTT) program around the Klang Valley, including in Putrajaya, as well as at the Nilai Velodrome since June 8 to regain their rhythm after the government enforced the Movement Control Order (MCO) on March 18 to curb the spread of COVID-19.
“During the MCO, I was deployed to man roadblocks while Nur Azlia trained on her own at home in Penang.
“This training (under the RTT) will hopefully help us regain our form as we have yet to qualify for the Paralympics,” said Nurul Suhada, who is from Selangor.
Source: BERNAMA