When Malaysia’s first women’s Olympic shooter takes aim in London, she will offer a silent prayer to Allah to keep her unborn child from kicking until the mom-to-be can pull the trigger.
Nur Suryani Mohamad Taibi, the 2010 Commonwealth Games gold medalist and a navy logistics officer, is due in September, but that — and the concerns of friends and family — has not stopped her. Not yet, any way.
Her bubbly personality belies what she calls a “stubborn” streak. She kept training through morning sickness and a rapidly expanding belly, and with the Games opening today, she is tantalizingly close to her dream.
Photo: AFP
“Most people said I was crazy and selfish because they think I am jeopardizing my baby’s health,” said the 29-year-old, who is expecting for the first time.
“My husband said grab it as this is a rare chance which may not come again. Also, I am the mother. I know what I can do. I am a stubborn person,” she added.
Nur Suryani is not the first expectant mother to compete in the Olympic Games.
However, in nearly the eighth month of pregnancy, the 10m air rifle competitor will surely be one of the most heavily pregnant Olympians in history. She will smash the record books if she wins gold — Malaysia has never taken an Olympic crown.
Readying for a recent training session, she squeezed her abdomen into the heavy body suit and jacket worn by shooters to aid stability before shouldering her rifle.
Standing as still as a statue, Nur Suryani takes a deep breath before each shot, puts the target in her sights and squeezes the trigger.
She no longer suffers from morning sickness, but shooting requires an extremely steady hand and body, so much so that many shooters time their shots between heartbeats, when the body is most stable.
A key concern therefore will be whether her unborn child — a girl whom she will name Dayana Widyan — kicks at the wrong time.
“I am able to shoot as normal. But a kick from the baby stops me from pulling the trigger,” she said.
She recites verses from the Koran to calm the unborn girl, she said.
“Every morning I talk to her and I say: ‘Mummy is going for training. Please remain calm. Don’t kick.’ But she was naughty this morning,” she said, bursting into laughter.
However, the confident Malaysian, who won bronze in the 2010 Asian Games and is ranked 47th in the world, insists she is as fit as ever and that her scores have remained consistent in training even as her pregnancy has advanced.
She has adjusted her stance slightly to accommodate the physical changes and says that the extra weight actually has the added benefit of increasing stability.
“But if the baby kicks I have to breathe easy and let the baby calm down before shooting,” she said.
Nur Suryani’s husband Marhazli Mohtar, a police officer, will accompany her to London to help settle her nerves — and in case the baby arrives prematurely.
“I just want to perform my best at the Games. If gold comes, thanks to God and my baby. Who knows? Miracles can happen,” she said.
Yu Yao-hsing on Tuesday nabbed Taiwan’s only goal in the final round of qualifiers for the 2027 AFC Asian Cup, as they fell 3-1 to Sri Lanka at Taipei Municipal Stadium. Early goals from Sri Lanka in the first half left Taiwan struggling to get on the board, and Christopher Tiao’s own goal at 53 minutes sealed the team’s fate in the third round of qualifiers. While acknowledging that the defeat, Taiwan’s sixth in Group D, was disappointing, head coach Matt Ross said he saw reasons to stay positive about the team’s development. “There were lots of positive signs in terms of the
Mercedes’ Kimi Antonelli yesterday vowed to “keep raising the bar” after winning the Japanese Grand Prix to become the youngest driver in Formula One history to lead the championship standings. The 19-year-old Italian took advantage of a mid-race safety car to jump into the lead after a dreadful start from pole position, crossing the line ahead of McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Antonelli’s Suzuka victory came two weeks after the first grand prix win of his career in China, and sent him top of the championship standings after three races, nine points ahead of team-mate George Russell. Mercedes are struggling to
INDIGESTION: Italy failed to qualify for the World Cup for a third consecutive time after a 4-1 defeat to Bosnia on penalties in a loss Gattuso said was ‘difficult to digest’ Coach Graham Arnold on Tuesday challenged his players to “shock the world” after Iraq became the 48th and final team to qualify for the FIFA World Cup with a nerve-shredding 2-1 win over Bolivia in an intercontinental playoff in Mexico, as Bosnia and Herzegovina, Turkey, the Czech Republic, Sweden and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) also secured their places at the finals. Iraq, whose preparations were disrupted by the war in the Middle East, sealed their first appearance at the finals in 40 years and are to play in Group I against France, Senegal and Norway. Goals from Ali al-Hamadi
Teng Kai-wei, the only Taiwanese player on an opening-day roster in this year’s Major League Baseball (MLB) season, took his first win of the year with the Houston Astros in his season debut. Teng entered in relief in the top of the fifth inning against the Los Angeles Angels on Saturday, with the Astros trailing 5-0. He pitched 2-1/3 scoreless innings with two strikeouts, as Houston scored 11 runs during his outing to snatch an 11-9 comeback victory. The win is the Astros’ first of the season and the third of Teng’s MLB career. “It’s my first time pitching for the Astros, so
RSS