BEING born with short limbs and using a skateboard to move around since he was small did not deter Muhammad Nur Faris Ghazali from desiring to succeed.
Despite his disability, the 18-year-old teenager rose to the occasion to win a gold medal at the Para Sukma 2022 organised by the National Sports Council and make his family proud.
En route to his success, he also managed to break the national record. He is now looking forward to taking part in the world tournament one day.
Speaking to reporters, Nur Faris’ father Ghazali Saad, 54, said he was pleased with his son’s achievement despite his shortcomings.
“He has been performing well in swimming at a young age and he can really do most of the things all by himself.
“I hope he can inspire others to emulate his remarkable feat as well,” he said during a luncheon at The Top Komtar yesterday (Feb 24).
Ghazali said his son’s swimming coach, Ang Thean Hin, was instrumental in bringing about the change in Nur Faris.
“He taught Faris well and encouraged my son to be independent,” he said.
Faris’ mother Khalijah Ismail, 53, praised his son for his determination to overcome the obstacles.
“We trained him to be independent, same with other usual kids,” she said.
Umar Hafiy Harith, seven, is also facing a similar situation as Nur Faris.
He has been using a skateboard as well since he was born.
His mother Nurul Fathiah Noordin, 33, said his eldest son had low self-confidence due to his disability.
“We planned to send him for swimming lessons with the aim of letting him become independent,” she said.
According to Nurul, her son, who will be studying at SK Sungai Kechil in Nibong Tebal soon, has now regained self-confidence after mixing around.
Another teenager Muhammad Nafis Raziz, 13, who speaks Mandarin fluently, was a cerebral palsy teenager.
He was present with his parents, Rosfina Razak and Raziz Ahmad.
State Social Development and Non-Religious Committee chairman Chong Eng, who hosted the luncheon, said she could understand the feelings of parents of their disabled child.
“It is important they are to be equipped with the relevant skills and learnt to be independent in the future,” she said.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Muhammad Amir Irsyad Omar