KUALA LUMPUR: National weightlifter Aniq Kasdan will attempt to break the 300 kilogramme barrier at the World Weightlifting Championships in Bahrain on Dec 7-15.
The 22-year-old was unable to break the 300kg (combined lifts) mark at the Paris Olympics in August but managed 297kg which was still a new national record and placed him fourth in the men's under-61kg class.
At the Fiji Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in September he again broke the national mark, this time managing 298kg en route to gold.
The Segamat native is confident he can achieve his goal after fine tuning his techniques in training recently.
"My target remains the same, which is to achieve that 300kg mark," said Aniq today.
"It has been elusive so far but I will not give up. I will give it my best shot in this competition (Bahrain).
"I am expecting the competition to be tough as the World Championships is of a similar standard to the Olympics.
"The world's best weightlifters and (Olympic) medallists will be there."
Aniq has shown strong consistency in recent seasons and will likely be in the fight for medals if he is able to achieve his 300kg target.
Paris Olympics gold medallist Li Fabin of China, who also holds the world record holder for the snatch (146kg) and combined lifts (318kg), will be the outright favourite in Bahrain.
Olympic silver and bronze medallists Theerapong Silachai (Thailand) and Hampton Morris (United States) are also expected to be among the contenders.