Once considered to be one of the greatest swimming talents of his generation, former Paralympic swimmer Zul Amirul Sidi Abdullah brought back numerous medals for Malaysia at both the state and national level in his heyday.
Fast forward to today however, he’s now struggling to get by with his meagre income following his retirement in 2017, so much so that he’s unable to buy a walking stick for himself.
Ex-Paralympian M’sian swimmer earns less than RM1K a month
Zul, who currently lives at PPR Paroi in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, was born with a disability that rendered him paralysed from the waist down.
One would think that he lives off a decent income given his former status as a Paralympian athlete, but he only earns less than RM1,000 monthly as a private coach, reported Harian Metro.
“The fees I charge students are among the lowest in the state. My income depends on the number of students, how often they come for lessons, and for how long.
“Usually, after a few months or once they’ve learned to swim, their parents will stop the classes, and new students come and go. Thus, my income is inconsistent and usually below RM1,000 per month,” he said.
Aside from giving swimming lessons, Zul also receives a RM350 allowance from Majlis Sukan Negara (MSN) for his role as a swimming facilitator for Paralympic athletes in Negeri Sembilan, and RM450 from the Social Welfare Department in disability allowance every month.
Unfortunately, combining all these together still isn’t enough to cover his rent and living expenses.
‘I feel like I’ve been forgotten’
Given his current circumstances, it was of no surprise that Zul felt slightly hurt to see his former contributions fall by the wayside since his retirement.
I’m not blaming anyone, but I feel like my contributions to the country and state have been forgotten after I retired as an athlete.
“During times of financial hardship, I had considered begging on the streets, but I didn’t do so as I didn’t want to embarrass my wife and kids, which is why I keep trying to earn a living for my family,” he said as quoted by Sinar Harian.
Zul added he hopes certain parties will utilise his expertise to train new athletes so that it could help to increase his income.
Won 7 medals in the past
Throughout his illustrious career of 17 years, Zul won three gold medals in consecutive years at the Osaka tournament in Japan (2006-2007) and one gold and three silver medals at the 2011 competition in the UAE.
Despite his struggles, Zul still remains proud of his previous achievements and has since passed down his skills to his two sons, who are now replicating the same level of success in Paralympic swimming.
Unfortunately, Zul isn’t the first M’sian athlete to face similar circumstances:
