Fraidden bags fourth consecutive gold medal 

KUCHING: Fraidden Dawan yet again secured himself another gold medal in the swimming competition at the 21st Para Malaysia Games (SUKMA) on Wednesday.

The 38-year-old para athlete has continued his impressive performance by outpacing his competitors in the men’s 50m freestyle (S10) with a time of 31.00 seconds.

He beats fellow competitors, Labo Taulim from from Labuan Federal Territory who came up with silver and Muhammad Farouq Md Hasim from Melaka who obtained bronze.

This adds up to a total of four gold medals in his hand, in which three were previously obtained on Monday from men’s 100m breaststroke (SB9), 100m backstroke (S10) and 4x100m freestyle relay.

A middle child out of five siblings, Fraidden said that his motivation on winning the gold medals came from the support of his parents.

“My motivation definitely comes from my parents, who always support me every time there is a competition, helping me to keep moving forward as much as I can.

“I would also like to thank Sarawak for giving me the opportunity to represent the state,” he said.

He said this when met by reporters after the award presentation ceremony at Pandalela Rinong Aquatic Centre, here today.

Reflecting on past Para SUKMA events, Fraidden said that he won eight gold medals in the 2014 Para SUKMA in Perlis.

“Previously, there were no limits on how many events one could participate in, depending on the event organiser.

“Due to that, I have the potential to take part in up to eight events. All eight of these event outcomes are my eight gold medals.

“My first time joining Para SUKMA was in 2004, and now, at the age of 38, I think I can participate in three more Para SUKMA events,” he said.

He also said that he was a national representative previously, with his last competition being the Para Asian Games in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China.

For the record, Fraidden will also be competing in the 100m freestyle (S10) on Thursday (Sept 26).