Nakano draws ire of M’sian Internet users, Shah Firdaus’ brother calls for restraint

KUALA LUMPUR: The collision involving national track cyclist Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom and Japanese cyclist Shinji Nakano in the keirin final at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Sunday (Aug 12) ignited the ire of Malaysian sports fans, reports Malay language daily Sinar Harian.

This follows claims that Nakano caused the incident, resulting in Shah Firdaus missing out on a bronze medal opportunity when he was in a strong position to finish third.

Following the incident, the Instagram account of the Japanese cyclist was bombarded by comments from Malaysian Internet users.

However, in an Instagram Story on Sunday night, Shah Firdaus’s brother, Muhammad Ridwan, who is also a track cyclist, called on Malaysian sports fans to refrain from attacking the social media accounts of anyone involved in the collision.

“In events like keirin, such incidents can occur and no one is to blame.

“We hope that no harsh words of comments are directed towards the Japanese cyclist. Thank you,” he said in his post.

A survey by Sinar Harian found that Nakano’s Instagram was flooded with over 36,000 comments over the incident.

Shah Firdaus had initially finished in fourth place but was relegated to sixth position after being found to have initiated the collision, while Nakano failed to finish the race.

In the race at the Velodrome Saint Quentin en Yvelines, Dutch cyclist Harrie Lavreysen excelled by claiming his third gold medal in Paris after winning in both the individual and team sprint events.

Australian cyclist Matthew Richardson won the silver medal, while his compatriot Matthew Glaetzer took home the bronze.