SAHROM Muhammad Shah Firdaus

General
BASED IN AUSTRALIA
In 2015 he moved to Melbourne, VIC, Australia, to join the Malaysia High Performance Team and train under coach John Beasley. (hmetro.com.my, 24 May 2020; mmail.com.my, 14 Jun 2018)

SANCTION
In 2015 he was suspended for 12 months by the Malaysian National Cycling Federation [MNCF] appeal panel in Ipoh, Malaysia, after testing positive for the banned substance dexamethasone at the 2014 Malaysia Games in Kangar. He was originally suspended for 18 months. He claimed that the substance must have entered his body via an injection he received at the 2014 Asian Championships in Nur-Sultan [formerly Astana], Kazakhstan, by a National Sports Institute medic. He was allowed to resume in June 2015. "That was my worst nightmare, but now [speaking in 2017] the doping case helped me learn to bounce back." (mmail.com.my, 06 Mar 2017; thestar.com.my, 09 May 2015; cyclingweekly.com, 04 May 2015)

EARLY DAYS
At age 16 he was hit by a car while cycling and sustained a serious injury. His parents forbade him to continue cycling, but coach Firdaus Daud encouraged him to resume. "After a couple of months [of taking up competitive cycling] I was hit by a car. My bicycle was a total wreck. I suffered a serious injury but survived. My parents forbade me to race again. However, I managed to persuade them to allow me to cycle again and most of all, I got coach Firdaus Daud to help me mentally and physically. I still remember what he said till now [speaking in 2017], 'If you fall, [it] means you will bounce back stronger,' and that is why if I fall during a race, to me it's nothing as it will make me stronger. Then after the accident I started to compete on the track. In Ipoh I had my first race and I won. Most surprisingly, I beat the national juniors from the National Sports Council at that time. I was so proud." (mmail.com.my, 06 Mar 2017)