DETERMINED: Nur Suryani wants to compete in London despite baby on the way
Nur Suryani Taibi
NUR Suryani Mohd Taibi will need one person's blessing above everyone else before she competes in the women's 10-metre air rifle at the London Olympic Games.
The shooter will be eight months pregnant by then and despite the risk, Nur Suryani is determined to make her presence felt at her first Olympic appearance.
"I will talk to the baby before I compete. No kicking, stay calm for one hour and 15 minutes only, please," she told Reuters on Sunday.
But her Olympic ticket is not yet guaranteed as she not only needs a medical clearance but must also impress in competitions leading up to London or risk being replaced by either Nur Ayuni Farhana Abdul Halim or Muslifah Zulkifli.
Nur Suryani is due to give birth to her first child on Sept 2, less than a month after the Games end.
"When I go to London, it will be 33 weeks, when I come back, it will be 34 weeks.
"I will arrive in London on July 25 and will head home right after I'm done with my event. I won't be staying there very long. I don't think (she does not expect to attend the closing ceremony), we haven't planned anything," she said.
The 29-year-old capped a superb performance in the Asian Championships in Doha in January by finishing fifth in the 10m air rifle to earn an Olympic quota spot for Malaysia.
The mental stress and pressure of Olympic competition, however, could have an effect on her in the heat of battle.
"My family is thinking 'can you do that, can you do that'? I say 'no problem' because when you have a baby inside your stomach, everywhere you go, you have company. You don't feel lonely. When I'm pregnant I don't have problems, I enjoy it.
"My aim is to compete. Maybe, at the end of June or whatsoever. If I have some problems that would jeopardise the baby inside me, I will reconsider whether I am going or not.
"The doctors say I am very good and very fit and that it is fine for me to train up to eight months or nine months," she said.
Nur Suryani, will however, get a chance to prove her mettle at the London leg of the ISSF World Cup which starts tomorrow.
It is the first time London is hosting a World Cup round and the competition for pistol, rifle and shotgun disciplines at the Royal Artillery Barracks will double up as the Olympics test event.
Nur Suryani, along with Nur Ayuni and Muslifah, will compete in two events -- air rifle and three position disciplines -- in London.
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