KUALA LUMPUR: Despite a heroic effort, national weightlifter Aniq Kasdan finished an agonising fourth in the men's under-61 kilogramme class at the Paris Olympics yesterday.
Aniq, 22, managed a 297kg total after clearing 130kg in the snatch and 167kg in the clean and jerk at the South Paris Arena, missing out on the podium by a mere kilogramme.
American Hampton Morris clinched the bronze after clearing 298kg (126kg-172kg) while silver was won by Thailand's Theerapong Silachai on 303kg (132kg-171kg).
Defending champion Li Fabin (China) managed a new Olympic record of 143kg in the snatch en route to retaining his gold with a 310kg total. He managed 167kg in the clean and jerk.
As anticipated, Aniq started the snatch with 126kg and had no difficulty clearing it. He went up to 130kg for his second attempt but failed before clearing it in his third attempt, much to the delight of his coach Edmund Yeo and team manager Amirul Hamizan Ibrahim.
This is because they anticipated that Aniq needed to clear at least 130kg in the snatch, which is Aniq's weaker discipline, if he were to have any chance of finishing on the podium.
It was also a new national record, erasing the former mark of 129kg set by Aznil Bidin at the Riyadh World Championships last year.
In the clean and jerk, which is his favoured discipline, Aniq banked 167kg with no difficulty on his first attempt.
A medal appeared to be in sight for Aniq but it was not to be as he could not clear 174kg in his second and third attempts.
Aniq, who was making his Olympic debut, said that his attempts at 174kg were a "gamble" to secure the silver.
"I don't feel great right now after losing by such a small margin," Aniq told Astro Arena after the event.
"If I managed to clear 174kg it would have been a new personal best for me. It was something that I discussed with my coach and it was a gamble which would have won me the silver, but it was not meant to be today.
"But I am still proud as I gave it everything I had. If anything, this only makes me even more determined to be a champion in the future."
Aniq, who is only 22, is seen as having a bright future in the sport for Malaysia.
Aniq had previously won gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games and is also a two-time medallist in the clean and jerk at the World Championships (2021, 2023).