KUALA LUMPUR: After weightlifter Aniq Kasdan finished fourth in the Paris Olympics, fans were asking whether he used the "right" strategy?
Some claimed that if the Olympic debutant had chosen the ''right" weight, he could have won the bronze.
After all, American Hampton Morris, who finished third, lifted only one kilogramme more than Aniq.
Aniq lifted a total of 297kg, setting a national record of 130kg in the snatch, and 167kg in the clean and jerk.
This has led to
Malaysian Weightlifting Federation president Datuk Ayub Rahmat explaining the strategy used by Aniq.
Morris took the bronze after clearing 298kg (126kg-172kg) while Thailand's Theerapong Silachai won silver with 303kg (132kg-171kg Defending champion Li Fabin (China) set a new Olympic record of 143kg in the snatch and 167kg in the clean and jerk for a 310kg total.
This has prompted various public reactions, and Ayub explained that it was necessary for Aniq to attempt a 174kg lift (but which he eventually failed)
to compete for a podium finish. Some fans felt that Aniq should have attempted the easier 170kg lift.
"We saw that only 1kg separated Aniq from winning the bronze. Some asked why 174kg was chosen instead of 170kg. For your information, Morris' personal record for clean and jerk is 178kg, and in training, we saw Aniq's potential to lift 175kg," shared Ayub on his Facebook post.
"So, we saw this as a positive strategy if he could manage the lift, and he almost succeeded... we had to go for it.
"If we had picked 170kg, Morris would have gone for more, and we would still have ended up in fourth place."
"After trying our best, all we could do was rely on faith and pray for a change in fate. However, everything is predestined. It was a remarkable achievement to qualify for the Olympics for the first time on merit with limited resources.
"Thank you to all the Malaysians who prayed for us, and apologies for not being able to bring a medal to the country," said Ayub.