Bodybuilder Mohd Syarul Azman Mahen Abdullah (pic) has turned down a coaching job in Macau.

The 47-year-old feels that he still has more to offer as an athlete and will be competing in the World Bodybuilding And Physique Sports Federation (WBPF) Champion of Champions Invitational International in Chennai from May 2-3.

Syarul said he would use the competition in Chennai to kickstart his preparation to defend his titles at the Asian Bodybuilding & Physique Sports Championships in the Maldives from Sept 5-11 and the WBPF from Nov 24-30.

The Kuala Lumpur-born Syarul was offered a coaching post in Macau last month after winning his fourth WBPF and fifth Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Championship titles last year.

“I gave the offer a lot of thought and decided to turn it down… I think I can compete at the highest level for a few more years and I want to give my everything for Malaysia before taking up coaching, ” said Syarul.

“On top of that, there’s a new tournament in Chennai and I have been invited to compete in the tournament.

“I feel it’s a great honour and a challenge for me.

“The competition will be an open category where all WBPF champions compete against each other.

“It’s an exciting format and I’ll be happy if I can finish in the top three because I will be competing against athletes from higher weight classes.”

The former footballer said he was able to compete in the competition due to support from his benefactor Touchtronic Rail and Services Sdn Bhd.

“My plan was to start preparing for my Asian title defence next month but I was invited to compete in Chennai and luckily, Touchtronic decided to sponsor me to compete.

“The Malaysian Body Building Federation (MBBF) have given me their consent to compete, ” said Syarul.

“I will use the competition in Chennai to start my training for the competition season.

“It will be a good stage for me to test myself against top athletes, this competition will be like a pre-season for me.”