What We Know So Far About The 4 Malaysian Para Cyclists Injured In Hit-And-Run
At least two of them were ASEAN Para Games gold medal favourites.
By Sadho Ram — 07 Sep 2017, 04:33 PM
On Thursday morning, 7 September, four national para-cyclists, who were training for the upcoming ASEAN Para Games, were injured in a suspected hit-and-run accident along the LATAR Highway
The incident occurred around 11am at KM12.5 along the KL-Kuala Selangor Expressway (LATAR) near the Batu Arang exit
According to a report on NST Online, it was a black Toyota Hilux pickup truck that hit the para cyclists and fled the scene afterwards.
In the hit-and-run, four cyclists were injured. They are 31-year-old pilot tandem Nor Rizuan Zainal, his teammate, 25-year-old stoker tandem Khairul Azwan Wahab, 23-year-old Khairul Nizam Mohd Ali, and 19-year-old Nur Syafiq Suhaimy.
Khairul Nizam and Khairul Azwan are blind.
They were all rushed to the Sungai Buloh Hospital for treatment.
Assistant coach Mohd Iqbal Sokri, who was in the team van about 200 metres behind, found the cyclists and the coach on the road. The coach escaped with abrasions.
Nur Syafiq came off the worst. He suffered a broken fibula and is out of the ASEAN Para Games next week.
"Syafiq came out of it the worst. The rest are being treated for some fractures and abrasions, but nothing as severe as we initially suspected. Still, it is unlikely we will make the road events at the ASEAN Para Games at full strength," National cycling coach Johari Nayan was quoted saying by NST.
The other three tandem riders were given the all-clear
Pilot Nor Rizuan, a Royal Malaysian Navy man, and his blind stoker Khairul Azwan, both of whom had represented Malaysia at the Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro last year, were hot favourites for the individual time trial gold medal in the ASEAN Para Games, scheduled to begin in KL next week.
However, while the National coach is being optimistic of them recovering within a week to take on the race, the hit-and-run incident has all but destroyed their chances.
"This driver has just destroyed us in a split second"
Speaking about the tragic incident, National cycling coach Johari Nayan said the driver of the black Toyota Hilux pickup truck has just "destroyed us in a split second."
"I really can't imagine this happening. Our ASEAN Para Games road events plans are destroyed by this," said a distraught Johari.
The 2017 ASEAN Para Games will take place in KL from 17 to 23 September.