BUKIT MERTAJAM: The boy rode his skateboard to the edge of the pool, got off it and looked at his coach.

       “Coach Ang” nodded and he dived in, slicing through the water with his powerful arms.

       Muhammad Nur Faris Ghazali 17, is no ordinary swimmer though. He was born with a rare congenital condition called sacral agenesis that has left him with deformed hips and legs.

       But he makes up for it with his strong upper body. The disabled swimmer has been training under coach Ang Tean Hin, 63, since he was 11.

       Muhammad Nur Faris owes much to “Coach Ang” who he regards as father figure.

       “My coach means everything to me. He’s like my father,” said Muhammad Nur Faris,

       The camera-shy teenager, who moves about on his skateboard, swept four gold and two silver medals at the National Para Swimming Championships in Kuala Lumpur in March.

       Later this year, he will be representing Penang at the Sukma Games.

       “I want to go far and if possible, I want to represent the country in the Paralympics one day. I want to make my coach and parents proud,” he said.

       Muhammad Nur Faris has indeed come a long way under Ang’s guidance.

       “I remember the first time when Coach Ang took me under his wings. I didn’t know how to swim at all.

       “But with his strict coaching, I could swim in less than a month.”

       Indeed, Ang is a strict man. In an interview at the Seberang Prai City Council Sports Complex, Muhammad Nur Faris, who studies at SMK Junjung in Kulim, Kedah, said he had been training with other able-bodied swimmers and received no preferential treatment.

       “I was never treated differently by Coach Ang during my training sessions. He would scold me just like the other kids. But I knew he just wanted me to be a better swimmer.”

       Ang, who has trained several state and national swimmers including former SEA Games champion Christina Loh, said Muhammad Nur Faris was the first disabled athlete he guided.

       “I don’t only train him to swim but also to be independent. I can see a lot of improvement especially in his attitude,” he said, describing their relationship as that of a father and son.

       Athletes and coaches, he said, did not look at their cultural or religious differences.

       “The main aim is just to focus on the training and to get the best results,” he added.

       Ang said he hoped to guide Muhammad Nur Faris to further triumphs. His next target is to get him to represent the country in the Asean Para SEA Games in two years’ time.

       Khalijah Ismail, Muhammad Nur Faris’ mother, said she hoped her son would become a successful athlete and represent the country in the Paralympics.

       “As a mother, I will try my best to support my son’s swimming career in whatever aspect including working with the coach,” she said.

       The housewife, whose husband Ghazali Saad, 53, is a lorry driver, said any child would feel positive and want to do their best if their parents were supportive.

       “Those who have disabled children should never feel shy or ashamed. If their children show any hidden talents, they should go all out to encourage them,” she said.

       “Don’t ever lose hope. Support them in whatever way you can.”