KUALA LUMPUR – Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh today said that the Road To Gold (RTG) programme pledges full support to national weightlifter Mohamad Aniq Kasdan following his impressive performance at the Paris Olympics.
In a Facebook post today, Hannah expressed her confidence that with strong backing from RTG, the 22-year-old athlete has the potential to be a great contender and a good prospect to bring home the gold in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.
“I believe Aniq could have won the bronze medal. While I feel very sad for him for missing the bronze, I am also full of hope about his potential. He did fantastic lifts… he showed Malaysia and the world that we can be a force to be reckoned with in weightlifting.
“Moving forward, I have spoken to him today that RTG pledges full support for him to climb higher, lift heavier and grow stronger. He is young and can be a great contender and a good prospect to bring home the gold in 2028.
“I believe in Aniq and he inspired our nation today. I am certain many young ones would now want to explore weightlifting,” she said.
Yesterday, the Segamat-born weightlifter missed out on the podium by a mere kilogramme after finishing fourth in the men’s 61kg weightlifting category with a total lift of 297kg, which was a new national record.
Li Fabin from China defended his gold medal with a total lift of 310kg, while silver and bronze went to Theerapong Silachai from Thailand (303kg) and American lifter Hampton Morris (298kg). – August 8, 2024