Shah Firdaus condemns online attacks on Nakano
Shah Firdaus revealed that collisions are common in keirin racing and that relationships between cyclists are typically close.
SHAH ALAM - Japanese track cyclist Shinji Nakano expressed his surprise at the negative reactions from Malaysians after his social media was recently flooded with criticism from what he referred to as ‘the nation’s army’.
"I thought Malaysians were nice. I felt embarrassed," Nakano conveyed in a message to Malaysian cyclist Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, who also felt embarrassed by the situation.
The backlash from Malaysian netizens came after a collision during the keirin final at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with some accusing Nakano of causing the incident that dashed Shah Firdaus's hopes of a podium finish.
Shah Firdaus clarified that he and Nakano are good friends and stated that an apology post from a TikTok account supposedly belonging to the Japanese cyclist was fake.
"Last night, Nakano messaged me saying he was being attacked on social media.
"I wasn’t aware of it until I checked and saw thousands of comments," Shah Firdaus told reporters at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) in Sepang on Tuesday.
He revealed that collisions are common in keirin racing and that relationships between cyclists are typically close.
"I hope netizens will stop because it’s affecting us. Incidents like this are part of keirin; body contact is normal.
"Nakano didn’t intentionally hit me; it was due to the G-force. In keirin, it’s common to have body contact. It’s just a question of whether you fall or not," Shah Firdaus added.
During the keirin final at the Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines Velodrome, Shah Firdaus was in contention for a bronze medal before the collision with Nakano caused him to fall, leading to a sixth-place finish.
The incident triggered outrage among Malaysian netizens, who attacked Nakano’s social media accounts.
Following the attacks, a TikTok account purportedly belonging to Nakano issued an apology to Malaysia, which Shah Firdaus confirmed was not authentic.
"That TikTok account doesn’t belong to Nakano; he informed me about it.
"We met after the race. It’s common for people to create stories online. I’m okay with him, and there’s no problem between us.
"In keirin, body contact might look intentional from the spectators’ perspective, but everyone just wants to win.
"There are no hard feelings.
"I feel bad because Nakano thought Malaysians were nice, based on how I treated him. When he felt hurt, I felt guilty," Shah Firdaus said.
