KUALA LUMPUR: National weightlifter Aniq Kasdan said the change in weight class will not be a major issue as he aims for bigger success this year.
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has revised the weight categories from June this year following a proposal by its Innovation Commission.
The new eight categories for IWF competitions start with men's 60kg, 65kg, 71kg, 79kg, 88kg, 98kg, 110kg, +110kg.
For women, it starts from 48kg, 53kg, 58kg, 63kg, 69kg, 77kg, 86kg, +86kg.
The Segamat-born Aniq, who finds himself having to drop to 60kg from 61kg, is undeterred, and said that he aims to do better than last year.
"This year I will be changing my weight class, it's not too difficult. I will move down one kg, from 61kg to 60kg."
Aniq's major assignments this year will be the World Championships in Norway (Oct 1-10) and Thailand Sea Games in December.
"I'm not sure who will be my rivals (in the international scene). Maybe, it will be the same people or new faces, but my hope for the year is to get great results," he said.
Aniq came tantalisingly close to making history at the Paris Olympics last August, where he finished fourth, just one kilogramme shy of bronze medallist Hampton Morris of the United States.
A month later, he set another national record with a 298kg lift en route to gold at the Commonwealth Championships in Fiji. And last month, Aniq won two silver medals, in the clean and jerk and snatch events, at the World Championships in Bahrain.