National track cyclist Muhammad Shah Firdaus shared a message from Japanese rider Shinji Nakano following the backlash he received from some Malaysian netizens.
Nakano's social media accounts were 'attacked' by Malaysian netizens after the final Keirin race at the Paris Olympics last Sunday, with many blaming him for a collision that caused Shah Firdaus Sahrom to miss out on the bronze medal.
"Last night (the night before), he messaged me saying he was under attack on social media... I didn't know, but when I checked, there were thousands of comments.
"I hope the netizens stop because it affects us as well.
"What hurts me is that he thought Malaysians were all good because I was good to him. When I visit Japan, he shows me around. When he felt this way, I felt embarrassed," said Shah Firdaus.
"The collision did happen; there was 'body contact,' which is normal in Keirin, and he didn't intend to knock me off- it was due to the 'G-force.'
"When there's 'body contact,' the 'G-force' can make it seem like he's hitting me, but in Keirin, it's common, and it's just a matter of falling or not," he recounted the incident and explained how it may have happened.
"Keirin is normal; there's 'body contact,' but maybe from the audience's perspective, it seemed like he did it on purpose. Of course, everyone wants to win, so there's no grudge," he added.
Additionally, Shah confirmed that the apology supposedly from Nakano's TikTok account was indeed fake.
"That TikTok wasn't his (Nakano's), he told me about it. We met after the race... The TikTok account, well, people make up stories. But we're fine; there's no issue between us.
