KUALA LUMPUR – Two-time Asian Games silver medallist Khairulnizam Mohd Affendy missed out on a ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics by a mere four points when he could only finish 33rd out of 152 participants at the ILCA 7 Men’s World Championships in Adelaide, Australia.
The 30-year-old, who is gunning for a fourth straight Olympic appearance, missed out on the seven merit slots after his 33rd place finish earned him 165 nett points in the qualifiers at the Adelaide Sailing Club from January 24 to 31.
Sweden’s Emil Bengtson took the last qualifying slot after finishing 30th with 161 points, while Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Matthew Wearn defended his world crown with 24 points.
The Olympic Council of Malaysia said in a post on social media that Khairulnizam has one final chance to qualify for Paris 2024 when he competes at the aptly-named Last Chance Regatta in Hyeres, France on April 18 to 27.
Meanwhile, Khairulnizam, who made his Olympic debut at the 2012 London Games, is confident he will be at Paris 2024, despite not getting any financial aid from the National Sports Council (NSC) or the Malaysia Sailing Association (MSA).
“I want to thank my family for always supporting and helping me, especially financially, to take part in this competition because I did not receive any financial aid from the NSC or the national association for this meet.
“I am grateful because I received assistance from the Thai coach during training and the race here because neither the NSC nor the association sent a coach for me. Even with such hurdles and challenges, I still managed to fight until the final race,” he posted on his Facebook page.
So far, woman sailor Nur Shazrin Latif, Johnathan Wong (shooting), Bertrand Rhodict Lises (diving), Ariana Nur Dania Zairi (archery) and cyclist Nur Aisyah Mohd Zubir (road race) have confirmed their berths for the July 26 to August 11 Paris Olympics.
The sailing events are scheduled from July 28 to August 8 at the Marseille Marina. – February 1, 2024