KUALA LUMPUR: After battling doping issues for nearly a decade, Malaysian weightlifting received a significant morale boost this year, largely thanks to the outstanding performances of one man.
Aniq Kasdan, competing in the under-61kg category, emerged as a beacon of hope for the sport.
The 22-year-old came tantalisingly close to making history at the Paris Olympics in August, finishing fourth, just one kilogram shy of bronze medallist Hampton Morris of the United States.
Aniq's combined 297kg effort set a new national record and marked the closest any Malaysian weightlifter has come to an Olympic medal.
His performance served as an inspiring reminder that Malaysian weightlifters can contend for top honours on the world stage.
The achievement was a wake-up call for authorities, prompting the Youth and Sports Ministry to focus on talent development in weightlifting, along with archery, taekwondo and shooting.
These sports will receive an additional RM1 million in funding next year.
This boost comes after weightlifting was dropped from the ministry's core sports programme in 2017 due to doping scandals and poor results, leaving the sport's future uncertain.
Aniq continued his remarkable form after Paris.
In September, he set another national record with a 298kg lift en route to gold at the Commonwealth Championships in Fiji.
He was joined on the podium by compatriots Aznil Bidin (men's under-67kg), Rahimi Sulaiman Lat (men's under-55kg) and Nurul Syasya Khairina Samsur (women's junior under-59kg), who all secured gold medals at the event.
In December, Aniq added two silver medals in the clean and jerk and snatch events at the World Championships in Bahrain.
Next year, the Malaysian weightlifting squad will face major tests at the World Championships in Norway (Oct 1-10) and the Thailand Sea Games in December.
Both events will serve as benchmarks for the sport's progress.