17yo M’sian BMX Rider Runs Coffee Stall to Achieve Dream of Competing in World Championships in France

With the pandemic that is ongoing, many of us have been trying to find ways just to survive and make some extra cash.

However, some people are willing to work hard just to achieve their lifelong dreams.

This is the story of 17-year-old professional BMX rider, Darwish Putra Muhd Sanusi who has taken on the challenge of working at a roadside stall to not only survive, but to also achieve one of his lifelong dreams.

Apart from having to go to school, Darwish owns his own roadside stall in Alam Budiman, Selangor, selling coffee to fund his dream of participating in the BMX World Championships in France in July 2022.

To qualify for it, he would need at least RM60,000 to participate in three major BMX tournaments in Thailand, Indonesia and South Korea which offers qualifying points for the World Championships.

Inspiration behind the dream

In an interview with WORLD OF BUZZ, Muhd ​​Sanusi who is Darwish’s father and coach, explained that it all started when he brought little Darwish to the track.

This was the same track where Muhd Sanusi and his friend, former state cycling coach, the late Rozimi Omar, used to go for their bike rides.

Rozimi noticed that Darwish seemed to enjoy being on the bike and called him up for training at a track located in Selayang. As Darwish performed well in training, his talent and potential was immediately identified by the two.

That is when Rozimi first instilled a dream into Darwish, which was for him to become the first ever Malaysian BMX rider to qualify for the Olympics in 2028.   

Instead of being a regular teen, Darwish took all of his winnings from BMX tournaments in the past and decided to invest it into his very own coffee stall with the help of his father.

Darwish told us that he brews his own coffee every night and packs it into a large container before going for his fitness training at 5:00am the very next day.

When he gets back home from school, he eats and quickly goes back out again to man his coffee stall, where he stays till late evening.

He has faced challenges throughout his journey and has even broken his jaw and hands, but has never given up.

“His journey and spirit is extraordinary,” said his father.

By supporting young athletes like him, we might just have the chance to help our country get recognised for something even greater. We hope to see Darwish representing our country in the Olympics to come!

Do help to support his dream by visiting his stall which is open everyday except Mondays, from 9:00am to 7:00pm.

Check out Darwish in action via his Instagram.

Also read: 17yo M’sian Girl Represents The Country at International Chess Competition in Czech Republic