KUALA LUMPUR – National gymnast Muhammad Sharul Aimy Mohd Kamaru Hisam is prepared to dig into his own pockets in pursuit of his dream of qualifying for the Paris Olympics next year by participating in the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup.
The bronze medalist from the Hangzhou Asian Games said it was important for him to compete in the World Cup series and to clinch medals to secure a spot in the Summer Games.
“It is my dream to go to the Olympics, I hope I can compete there. To get there, I need to take part in the World Cup series. But the cost to compete is very expensive because it takes part in four countries.
“The National Sports Council can only send me to two countries because there are other athletes that are also competing. To get to the rest I have to figure it out on my own.
“I want to go to all four tournaments. I’m willing to use my own money. If I miss this series of tournaments, I have to wait for the next Olympic cycle,” he said when met at a dinner event with the media in Petaling Jaya last night.
The 22-year-old Sharul said the total cost of participating in all four World Cup events and preparing for the Paris Games amounts to RM300,000.
He expressed gratitude and openness to potential sponsors who might come forward to support his journey.
“I’m also keen on training in Japan, where some of the best gymnastic facilities and expertise can be found in Asia.”
Highlighting the intense competition within Asia to secure Olympic qualification, Sharul noted that most Olympic qualifiers are from Europe, primarily due to their participation in the World Championships. This fact is expected to draw a significant number of Asian athletes to the World Cup series in their quest for a Paris 2024 berth.
Reflecting on his triumph in Hangzhou, where he became the first male Malaysian gymnast to win an Asiad medal in 17 years, Sharul admitted that his primary goal was to clinch a medal due to previous disappointments.
“I failed to win any medals in the SEA and Commonwealth Games, as well as previous World Cup series before this. So for Hangzhou, I was determined to bring home a medal for Malaysia.
“I worked hard for this Asian Games because I want to create history in gymnastics because as we know the sport has not garnered the attention of the public.
“The competition for this Asiad was difficult because most of the finalists are world-class. I was worried to the point where it was difficult to sleep.
“But I managed to focus on training without any problems. Even though I had suffered an injury to my leg previously.
“So I was really happy and grateful that I could gift a bronze medal to Malaysia in gymnastics after a 17-year wait,” he said.
Sharul also revealed that a broken leg in 2019 had nearly forced him to give up the sport.
“My doctor at the time told me I could not walk. During the pandemic, I underwent rehabilitation for a year. At every physiotherapy session, I will cry.
“But I got my spirit back after being able to walk again. The doctor that treated me got emotional when they saw me win at the Asian Games,” he said.
Sharul secured the bronze medal in the apparatus event with a score of 14.466, with gold going to Wataru Tanigawa from Japan and silver to Mahdi Olfat from Iran.
The last male Malaysian gymnast to win a medal in artistic gymnastics was Ng Shu Wai, who clinched silver at Doha 2006. – October 7, 2023
