Blind duo prove their sea endurance at Oceanman Langkawi 2017

LANGKAWI: Of the nearly 300 swimmers who braved the morning chill to compete at the Oceanman Langkawi 2017 today, two caught the attention of many in Tanjung Rhu because of their visual impairment.
Upon completing the 2km course, Faiq Adnan and Wong Hung Fai were a picture of excitement, as they shared their experiences in competing alongside other swimmers, in this global open sea swimming event series, for the first time.
"We are not disabled … just physically impaired. Disabled is (just a term for) a barrier in terms of environment and attitude," Faiq Adnan told Bernama at the end of the race.
The 27-year-old International Trade and Industry Ministry administrative officer said he joined the Oceanman Langkawi not to create a record, but to prove that those who were visually-impaired were also capable of competing in challenging sports.
"Being involved in challenging sports is good for those with impairment as this will train us how to survive on our own," he said.
Hung Fai, who has been Faiq's friend since age seven, echoed his thoughts, and went further to say that he wanted to change the public perception of the ability of those with visual impairment.
"We don't want society to continue thinking that people like us should not be active and just stay at home. We want to change this," he said.
On the challenges they faced during the event, Hung Fai said the water current in some parts of the race had caused them to drift off course, causing them to swim some distance longer than usual.
"I believe we could have swum for about 3km, but fortunately with our mindset, we were able to correct our course and finish the race," he added.
The Oceanman Langkawi 2017 was the latest challenge completed by the duo, as next week they plan to compete at the Pattaya Swimathon in Thailand, their second time participating after taking part in it last year. — Bernama