KUALA LUMPUR: Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh believes Malaysia has the potential to win gold in weightlifting at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics after watching Aniq Kasdan's encouraging, albeit heartbreaking, performance at the Paris Olympics yesterday.
Yeoh admitted she "felt sad" for Aniq after he finished fourth in the men's under-61 kilogramme competition but is optimistic about his future.
Aniq broke the snatch national record en route to a 297kg total but missed out on the podium by just one kg. The 22-year-old was making his Olympic debut in Paris.
Defending champion Li Fabin of China retained his gold on 310kg while silver and bronze went to Thailand's Theerapong Silachai (303kg) and American Hampton Morris (298kg).
"Although he was just added to the Road to Gold (RTG) programme in November, he has already shown impressive progress and has improved from 10th (in the world rankings) to fourth at the Olympics," said Yeoh in a Facebook post today.
"He has shown that weightlifting has the potential to win gold at LA2028.
"I believe Aniq could have won the bronze medal today (yesterday). While I feel very sad for him for missing the bronze, I am also full of hope about his potential.
"He did fantastic lifts. From the first day he joined the RTG support program, he has been unassuming and wanted to challenge his own ranking.
"He did so much more than that today. He showed Malaysia and the world that we can be a force to be reckoned with in weightlifting."
Yeoh added that RTG will continue to give him the support he needs to further improve his performances.
"RTG pledges full support for him to climb higher, lift heavier and grow stronger. He is young and can be a great contender. He is a good prospect to bring home the gold in 2028," said Yeoh.
"I believe in Aniq and he inspired our nation today. I am certain many young ones would now want to explore weightlifting."
RTG is an elite athlete preparation programme intended to provide cream-of-the-crop athletes the additional support they need to challenge for gold in Paris, LA2028 and other major international competitions.
Aniq is one of 10 athletes currently being supported by the programme.
Aniq's fourth-place finish has lit a fire in him and vowed to become an "Olympic champion" in the future during his post competition interview yesterday.