Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
MD DANIAL Hakim Harjimmey had a successful outing and bagged a total of three gold and one silver at the Para Swimming Circuit 2 in Kuala Lumpur.
Held at the National Aquatic Centre in Bukit Jalil, he started off by registering a time of 1:25:87 in the 100m freestyle (S7) event on Friday.
The 22-year-old then clocked a time of 46.91 seconds in the 50m backstroke (S7) event.
He finished top of the podium for the third time by the winning 50m freestyle (S7) event with a time of 37.05s on Saturday.
The silver medal came in the 50m breaststroke (SB6) after he completed the event on 58.12s.
Danial was delighted with his podium finishes but expected more with his times.
"I'm not quite satisfied with some of my events especially the 50m breaststroke. But overall I am really satisfied with my results," said Danial in an interview with BruSports News on Sunday.
"In swimming, improving your time is really important since podium is based on the top three fastest times," he added.
It wasn't all rosy for Danial having torn his jammers just before his first event on Friday.
"I had some issues especially when I only had 15 minutes before my 100m freestyle which is my favourite event," said Danial.
"Obviously being mentally prepared is the key factor to be ready for anything.
"Despite not being able to compete with my jammers (and had to wear my training trunks throughout the events) I still know I was going to do well," he added.
"Having alot of experience from previous competitions (Para Games and World AbilitySport Games) did help," continued Danial, who started swimming at six.
Having only returned to swimming at 15 years old after a battle against cancer, Danial's ultimate goal is to turn pro and make a living out of the sport.
However, he is looking to take a sabbatical after missing out on the Paris 2024 Paralympics.
"After winning (a silver medal) in Thailand in December, I was expecting to be sent for more competitions to gain exposure especially when the world's biggest sports event is this year (Paralympics) but I didn't get selected due to budget," said Danial.
"But at the end of the day I'm really proud with what I have achieved this year.
"This is probably my last competition of the year considering I have been swimming non-stop for the past few years and a mental break is needed," he concluded.
