Ridwan Sahrom, who is also a track cyclist, said anything can happen in keirin events and that blame cannot be carelessly attributed.
“To all Malaysian sports fans, please do not attack other countries involved in the crash between Shah Firdaus and the Japanese rider,” he said in an Instagram posting. “Please remain calm and do not attack or comment anything negative on the Japanese rider’s social media.”
However, several people rejected Ridwan’s call, saying Shah Firdaus deserved justice, as Malaysia could have won the bronze medal in the event if not for the crash.
The crash in the final lap involved Shah Firdaus, Japan’s Shinji Nakano and Great Britain’s Jack Carlin, both of whom did not finish the race. Shah Firdaus was later relegated to sixth position for “moving towards the inside of the track when an opponent was already there”.
Video replays showed that the Malaysian did veer into Nakano’s track, prompting the Japanese cyclist to nudge him. In turn, Shah Firdaus inadvertently brushed Carlin’s bike, not far behind, which caused all three to take a tumble just before the finish line.
Malaysians have flooded Nakano’s Instagram page with pictures of the Jalur Gemilang, as well as a handful of comments criticising the cyclist.
Some accused him of displaying poor sportsmanship and saying “shame on you”, while others accused him of playing dirty and acting unprofessionally.
Former youth and sports minister Khairy Jamaluddin also took aim at the Japanese, saying Shah Firdaus would have been on the podium if not for Nakano’s “dirty nudge”.
However, there were some who defended Nakano, saying the replays clearly showed Shah Firdaus was rightly handed the relegation for veering into his rival’s racing line.
Shah Firdaus also urged all parties not to criticise Nakano on social media, as the rider did not cause the crash intentionally.
He admitted he needs time to come to terms with missing out on a medal.
“I was in a position to win a medal when I was already halfway past Nakano’s bike, but suddenly my rear tyre was hit. Then, the rider who was in sixth place, who had given up chasing (Matthew Glaetzer from Australia), finished the race in third place.
“Since this morning, I had set my mind that I could win a medal. If I hadn’t challenged for a medal at all, I could accept that, but this is hard to swallow,” he said when met at his hotel.