KUALA LUMPUR – Debutant Mohamad Aniq Kasdan may have missed out on a medal by a whisker, but he can undoubtedly hold his head high.
Competing in the men’s 61kg category today, Aniq finished fourth with a national record total lift of 297kg at the South Paris Arena. Aniq’s previous best of 296kg was set at the IWF Grand Prix in Doha last year.
Defending champion Li Fabin of China retained his gold medal from the Tokyo Games three years ago with a total lift of 310kg, while Thailand’s Silachai Theerapong took silver with a lift of 303kg.
Meanwhile, Morris Hampton of the United States secured the bronze with a total lift of 298kg.
Understandably distraught over the narrow margin, Aniq revealed that he and his coach decided to gamble on a final attempt of 174kg in the clean and jerk, which would have placed him in the silver medal position.
“I am disappointed because I could have achieved a new personal best and won a medal for Malaysia,” said the tearful 22-year-old from Segamat, Johor.
“I also wanted to do my best for my parents. I promise that this experience at the Paris Olympics will only motivate me to train harder and perform better in the future.
“My target is to become an Olympic champion.”
Earlier, Aniq broke the national record in the snatch event by lifting 130kg, surpassing the previous mark of 129kg set by Aznil Bidin at the 2023 World Championships in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
For the record, Mohd Hafifi Mansor was the last Malaysian weightlifter to qualify for the Olympics, competing in the 69kg category at the 2016 Rio edition. – August 7, 2024