NAYPYITAW: National paralympian, Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli collected the first gold medal in athletics for Malaysia on the second day of the 7th Asean Para Games here yesterday.
Muhammad Ziyad clinched the gold in the men’s discus F20 event with a distance of 38.37 metres while compatriot Abdul Shukur Subari took the silver medal with a throw of 29.93 meters.
“I am satisfied with my performance which exceeded my personal best of 33 metres,” he told Bernama.
Meanwhile track athlete, Krishna Kumar Hari Das contributed Malaysia’s second athletics gold medal in the men’s 400m T38 event after clocking 58.04 seconds.
Yesterday’s morning also saw Mohd Hisham Khaironi set a new national record in the men’s javelin throw F12 event.
Mohd Hisham erased the national record of 45.86 metres he himself set at the IPC Open Athletics Championship in Italy in March last year with a new record of 49.73 metres.
“My target was to achieve 50 metres but it was not fulfilled. Nonetheless, the distance of more than 49 metres was good enough,” he said.
With that record-breaking effort, he collected a silver medal.
In the men’s long jump F44 event, luck was not with Saiful Dawang and he had to be contented with the silver medal.
“I am disappointed as there was only a difference of 0.02 centimetres for me to take the gold medal,” he said.
In the event, Saiful made a jump of 5.57 metres compared to 5.59 metres by the gold medallist from Indonesia.
In the morning session, Malaysia also obtained a silver medal from Nurul Farizai Mat Hussin in the women’s long jump F44/F46 event with a jump of 4.17 metres. — Bernama