GEORGE TOWN: Despite catching Covid-19 a week before flying to Berlin, Germany, Zy Kher Lee went against all odds and bagged the gold medal in the Para-Swimming World Series Youth 200m Free finals.

       Prior to contracting the virus, the 15-year-old swimmer, who was born with a complete left arm, half a right arm, no right leg and malformed left leg with only three toes, had an ear infection which forced him to stop training for two weeks.

       “I had an ear infection a month before my competition in Berlin in March. After I fully recovered from the ear infection, I went straight back to training to boost my stamina and skills.

       “I trained two times a day, two hours per session, so that was 14 sessions in a week,” he said when met at the Penang Sports Club here on Wednesday.

       Zy said his strenuous training regime soon took a toll on his health.

       “I overworked my body and my immune system became weak. I was down with fever and sore throat, and then I tested positive.

       “Luckily, I recovered just the day before I flew to Berlin. I told myself to just go for it and do my best. I did not pressure myself and instead, went and had fun,” he recalled.

       Zy went on to beat 110 competitors from around the world for the gold.

       Last December, Zy won three medals at the Asian Youth Para Games 2021 in Bahrain: the gold medal for 200m freestyle, silver medal for 50m butterfly and bronze medal for 200m individual medley.

       Moving forward, Zy’s sights are now trained on the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris.

       “I also hope to take part in the 2022 World Para Swimming Championships in Portugal in June, 2022 Asean Para Games in Indonesia in July and 2022 Asian Games in China in September.

       “I train two hours a day on weekdays and five hours a day on weekends.

       “Since I am attending classes, I train for two hours in the evening from Monday to Friday, three hours in the morning and two more hours in the evening on weekends,” he said.

       Zy expressed gratitude to his friends and also his teachers, who gave him extra classes when he returned from competitions.

       Swimming is not his only passion; Zy is also striving to be a King Scout and represent Malaysia in the 25th World Scout Jamboree in Korea next year.

       Zy’s father, Walter Lee, 56, said the government should look into the livelihood of Paralympic athletes and build an ecosystem that nurtures them.

       “In competitive sports, there is always a threshold.

       “The peak performance years for them are usually from late teens to late 20s, so we must look into what life will be for these athletes after their peak years.

       “As parents, we would want to have peace of mind knowing that our kids will have a backup plan after they can no longer take part in competitive sports,” said the Penang-born celebrity chef and host of his own television programme in Thailand.

       Zy’s swimming coach of 10 years, Adrian Chan, 66, is proud of Zy.

       “Zy’s performance is extraordinary and he always breaks his personal best at competitions. He is somebody who can perform under pressure,” Chan said.