BIRMINGHAM: The cold weather on the second day of the Commonwealth Games athletics competition at Alexander Stadium here was a major challenge to national athlete Muhammad Afiq Mohamad Ali Hanafiah, as he found it hard to work up a sweat in the men’s 100m T11/T12 (physical impairment) heats.
Although he had faced a similar situation when training in Europe several years ago, Muhammad Afiq, who is suffering from visual impairment since two years old, said this is the first time he had experienced such a condition in competition.
“Not a single drop of sweat came out as the weather was quite cold. It indirectly affected my run today. If I perspired, my body would warm up fast and I could run better,” he told Bernama here today.
Despite this, Muhammad Afiq almost equalled his national record of 11.28s set when winning the bronze in Gold Coast 2018, after clocking 11.29s to finish third in round one of the heats today.
The result meant the 27-year-old sprinter has qualified for the final scheduled for tomorrow, after finishing fourth overall among eight participants.
Only the top two runners from each of the two heats, as well as two more best times overall qualify for the final.
He said the absence of his coach Ahmad Rafee Mohamad Ariffin, who is now in Solo, Indonesia, for the Asean Para Games, had somewhat affected his preparations here.
“We communicated only via WhatsApp and the coach shared many tips with me. I’m alone but fortunately there are National Sports Institute officers around to help me manage things here,” he said. – Bernama