Sign of good times
Hafifi and Azroy now tipped for glory at 2018 Commonwealth Games
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia could be looking at a golden double from weightlifting through Mohd Hafifi Mansor and Muhd Azroy Hazalwafie at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia, next year.
Hafifi and Azroy gave Malaysia a double joy by winning their respective categories at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in Gold Coast yesterday.
Competing in a field of nine lifters in the men’s below 69kg category, Hafifi was second in the snatch with 137kg after he failed on his final attempt to lift 139kg at the Gold Coast Sports and Leisure Centre.
India’s Deepak Lather was the leader with 138kg.
Hafifi, however, responded superbly with an impressive opening lift of 170kg in the clean and jerk and no one could overtake his 307kg total.
With the gold in the bag, Hafifi made two unsuccessful attempts at 176kg.
Samoa’s Vaipava Nevo took the silver with 296kg while Lather settled for the bronze with an overall total of 295kg.
“I didn’t get to compete at the SEA Games (in Kuala Lumpur last month) as I was asked to take a break to recover from a thigh injury.
“I’m happy to prove a point here. And I think I can still do better,” said Hafifi, whose latest performance was better than his gold-medal winning total of 305kg at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014.
Earlier, Azroy also stamped his mark with a 253kg total to beat 13 other lifters in the men’s below 56kg category. Azroy’s total was better than the 253kg winning lift of Sukhen Dey of India at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Jayasooriya Arachilage of Sri Lanka clinched the silver with 247kg while Indian Guru Raja took the bronze with 246kg.
Malaysia also won a bronze through Mohd Zaidi Nordin in the men’s 62kg category with a 270kg total.