TOKYO: S. Suresh (pix), the 2019 para archery world champion, hopes the birth of his first child last month will bring him luck in his chase for the gold medal at the Aug 24-Sept 5 Tokyo Paralympics.
The para archer’s wife, P. Vikneswary, 31, gave birth to their son S. Monish at Hospital Seberang Jaya, Penang on July 14.
In fact, Suresh, who will turn 28 on Tuesday, the opening day of the Paralympics, feels that Lady Luck has already been smiling on him since the birth of his son, especially after he received some unexpected financial aid from the Kedah government and equipment from the National Sports Council (NSC).
“Previously, it was quite difficult to obtain assistance but I feel that since the birth of my first son, I have been blessed and that’s why I am confident of winning gold in Tokyo.
“If I am successful, I will dedicate the gold medal to my wife and also my son,” the para archer, who is from Sungai Petani, Kedah, told Bernama.
The para archer, who is set to make his Paralympic debut in Tokyo, is, however, disappointed that he could not meet his wife for over four months and also could not be by her side when she gave birth due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
He was, however, thankful that his wife understood his situation as he needed to be focused on undergoing final preparations in his quest to bring glory to the country.
Apart from the gold medal, he is also hoping to hit 640 points in Tokyo so as to break his personal record of 634 points, which he set in the men’s recurve event at the 2019 World Para Archery Championships in Hertogenbosch, the Netherlands.
Meanwhile, Suresh, who lost his left leg in a road accident at the age of 13, admitted that he would also have to quickly get used to the extremely hot weather condition that is expected in Tokyo if he intends to do well when the competition begins at the Yumenoshima Park Archery Field.
But he is glad to have received some useful tips from national archer Khairul Anuar Muhammad, who had competed at the same venue before being eliminated by South Korean Kim Woojin in the third round of the men’s recurve event at the recently-concluded Tokyo Olympics.
He added that Khairul Anuar reminded him not to think too much of the wind conditions when shooting the arrows, as well as to enjoy the Paralympics and not let the occasion get to him.
Suresh, who is ranked third in the world, is scheduled to be in action on Friday (Aug 27) in the ranking round of the men’s recurve Open event while his compatriot, Wiro Julin is set to compete in the ranking round of the men’s compound event on the same day.
The 22-strong Malaysian contingent of para athletes will compete in nine different sports and have been set a three-gold target at the Tokyo Paralympics. – Bernama
