KUALA LUMPUR: Paralympian Ziyad Zolkefli has gotten over the heartbreak of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics as he shifts his focus to the Paris Paralympics from Aug 28-Sept 8.
At the previous Paralympics, the shot putter, who was the defending champion, was disqualified in the F20 category.
Ziyad was classified as Did Not Start (DNS) for being late to the call room following a protest from the Ukrainian team. Consequently, his world record of 17.94m, set in Tokyo, was invalidated.
The 34-year-old proved that he's back to his best after retaining his gold at the World Para Athletics Championships last month in Kobe with a throw of 17.43m. Now he aims to reclaim the Paralympic gold.
"I'm letting the memories of the Tokyo Paralympics be just memories. We have to open a new chapter," said Ziyad.
"My aim is to deliver a good performance, and let's see whether I can win gold, silver, or bronze."
Ziyad said he's working on reducing his nervousness during competitions.
"As an athlete, there are always things that you need to improve daily in training. For me, the 'feel' during competitions is always different. I need to control my nervousness. I think this is what's stopping me from doing my best."