INJURIES have forced two Malaysian riders -- Bakar Aman and Yusran Yusuf -- to withdraw from the FEI World Endurance Championships (WEC) which starts at the Terengganu International Endurance Park (TIEP) in Lembah Bidong, Setiu, tomorrow.

Terengganu-born rider Datuk Abdullah Taib and Che Ahmad Yusri Muhamad will be their replacements.

The WEC Malaysian team athletes' preparation manager Mohd Din Muhamad said Bakar Aman and Yusran Yusuf opted to withdraw as they could not recover in time.

"Bakar has been suffering from ligament injuries to his left leg for quite sometime while Yusran sprained his back during training," Mohd Din said yesterday.

"We decided to replace them a week ago with Abdullah and Che Ahmad. The International Equestrian Federation (FEI) accepted our decision two days ago."
Mohd Din said the slight reshuffle will not affect the Malaysian team's focus.

"The riders are fully prepared for the challenge. In fact, Abdullah and Che Ahmad's inclusion will further boost the squad," he said.

Che Ahmad, who will be astride Penn 3, is ranked 200 in the world. The 39-year-old earned his two Certificates of Capability (CoC) in the National Sports Institute (NSI) Challenge in TIEP early this year.

Abdullah, who earned his CoC in Uruguay, is ranked World No 1,307. The 55-year-old rider will be astride Kerbalanen Armor.

On who would be competing in the individual and team events, Mohd Din said an announcement would be made after the first horse inspection today.

A total of 12 riders will be representing Malaysia -- four in the team event and the rest in the individual categories.