PARIS: The appearance of national para athletics star Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli in the men's shot put F20 (intellectual impairment) event is highly anticipated by local sports fans at the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, which enters its sixth day tomorrow.
Muhammad Ziyad is undoubtedly looking to reclaim the gold medal he won at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, after experiencing a dark moment when he was stripped of the winner's medal at the Tokyo 2020 due to a technicality of arriving late at the call room.
However, the task for the 34-year-old athlete will not be easy as he faces the defending champion, Maksym Koval of Ukraine, who also holds the world record with a throw of 17.57 metres (m) set at the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.
The success of winning gold at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, with a throw of 17.43m, however, is hoped to provide Muhammad Ziyad a boost to once again reach the top of the podium at the Stade de France.
Besides Muhammad Ziyad, there will be two other national representatives with a chance for a podium finish, namely Muhammad Nazmi Nasri, who is competing in the men's long jump T37 (physical impairment), and Muhammad Ammar Aiman Nor Azmi in the men's 400m T20 (intellectual impairment) event.
Muhammad Nazmi previously won gold in his event at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships, while Muhammad Ammar Aiman won bronze in Kobe.
Meanwhile, para badminton ace Cheah Liek Hou delighted the Malaysian contingent on the fifth day of Paris 2024 by contributing the country's first gold medal at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.
The world number one and top seed at Paris 2024 defended the gold in the men's singles SU5 (physical impairment) event by defeating Indonesia's Suryo Nugroho 21-13, 21-15.
Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh, when met by Malaysian reporters after the badminton final, expressed her joy in listening to the national anthem "Negaraku" played, and hoped that Liek Hou's success would inspire other athletes to pursue medals for the country.
Malaysia's Chef de Mission to the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games, Datuk R. Subramaniam, is optimistic that Malaysia is on the right track to achieve its target of four gold medals, while Malaysian Paralympic Council president Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman Zaharudin described Liek Hou's gold medal as a gift in conjunction with the 67th National Day on Saturday.
The dream of Liek Hou's teammate Muhammad Fareez Anuar to win a medal in his Paralympic debut, however, was dashed when he lost to Indonesia's Dheva Anrimusthi 21-17, 19-21, 12-21 in the bronze medal match.
Meanwhile, at the Paris La Defense Arena, Muhammad Nur Syaiful Zulkafli missed the chance to shine in his favourite event, the men's 100m breaststroke SB4 (physical impairment), finishing in sixth place with a time of 1 minute 46.71 seconds (s).
National archery representatives, G. Daneshen and Nur Jannaton Abdul Jalil, were eliminated by Italy's Matteo Bonacina-Eleonora Sarti in the 1/8 elimination round of the mixed team open compound event with a score of 141-147. – BERNAMA