malaysiangKUCHING, National powerlifting athlete Azlan Mos met expectations by delivering an outstanding performance at the 2024 Para Malaysia Games (Para SUKMA) by cracking the national record with a lift of 171 kilogrammes (kg) in the men’s under 65 kg category today.
The land of the hornbills native from Sebuyau broke the previous record of 170 kg set by Paralympic athlete Bonnie Bunyau Gustin during the Para SUKMA 2018 in Perak, securing gold with his best lift after the third attempt.
The 33-year-old athlete previously lifted 150 kg, 155 kg and 160 kg, amassing a total of 465 kg for the overall gold, amidst cheers from the enthusiastic home crowd at the Youth and Sports Complex.
Silver went to Perak’s Muhammad Akmal Danish Mohamad, who achieved the best lift of 143 kg with a total of 425 kg, while bronze was claimed by Muhammad Syalqi Mohd Shikri of Perlis with a lift of 116 kg and a total of 333 kg.
Speaking to reporters after the medal presentation, Azlan, who has been trained by the National Sports Council
(MSN) since last year, expressed his dream to break Bonnie’s record, whom he considers his mentor.
‘Besides wanting to break Bonnie’s record, whom I consider a friend and mentor, I also want to improve my own record. I thought if Bonnie can do it, what excuse do I have not to achieve the same,’ said Azlan, the third of five siblings.
He acknowledged the challenges posed by injuries, are common in the sport of weightlifting but stressed the importance of maintaining a strong mental focus and not being overwhelmed by nerves.
Sharing his latest developments in powerlifting, Azlan expressed his ambition to break the 171 kg record he set at the 2025 ASEAN Para Games in Thailand.
The Sarawak squad has demonstrated that powerlifting is a significant source of gold for the state, with athlete Melinda Tiong Zhing Zhing winning gold for the overall lift in the women’s under 61 kg category after achieving 158.95 kg, calculated using the Coefficient Formula Calculator.
She beat Perak’s Aphiradi Singchang, who secure
d second place with a total lift of 151.591 kg, followed by Eng Ling Li from Johor, who claimed bronze with 146.926 kg.
The 20-year-old athlete also won silver for her best lift of 53.853 kg, with gold going to Eng for her lift of 54.948 kg, while Aphiradi took home bronze for a lift of 51.433 kg.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency
