PARIS, Sept 3 — National para swimmer Muhammad Nur Syaiful Zulkafli was unable to secure a medal in his favourite event, the men’s 100-metre (m) breaststroke SB4 (physical impairment) at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games here yesterday.

Muhammad Nur Syaiful, who was the gold medallist at the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Para Games, finished sixth with a time of 1 minute 46.71 seconds (s) at the Paris La Defence Arena.

Dmitrii Cherniaev from the Neutral Paralympic Athletes took gold with a time of 1:32.20s, leaving his closest competitor from Greece, Antonios Tsapatakis (1:36.16s) with the silver, while Manuel Mateo Bortuzzo settled for bronze (1:42.52s).

In the morning heats, Muhammad Nur Syaiful recorded a time of 1:45.15s, his personal best, surpassing his record from the 2022 Asian Para Games of 1:46.78s.

The result placed him third in the first heat and ranked fifth among the top eight swimmers who advanced to the final.

This was the Sarawakian athlete’s second finals appearance at Paris 2024, after finishing sixth in the men’s 100m freestyle S5 (physical impairment) event with a time of 1:16.60s.

The 29-year-old athlete will return to the pool here for the men’s 50m freestyle S5 event on September 5. — Bernama