Siti hopes to go from Rio to bravo after setback in Brazil

KUALA LUMPUR: Para athlete Siti Noor Iasah Mohamad Ariffin is still trying to get over the disappointment of returning home empty- handed from the Rio Paralympics last September.

The Johorean clocked a personal best of 58.55 seconds to finish fourth in the women’s 400m T20 (intellectual disability) final in Rio de Janeiro.

In 2015, Siti clocked 60.35 to bag bronze in the IPC World Athletics Championships in Doha, Qatar.

She was the gold medallist at the 2014 Incheon Asian Games.

For the Asean Para Games, she will feature in the 400m and 800m at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil from Sept 18-23.

The 28-year-old, who has a fiveyear-old son, said that her failure to win the bronze medal at the Rio Paralympics “still hurts”.

“I thought I had won the bronze medal in the 400m final. But I was shocked when Poland’s Barbara (Niewiedzial) dived at the finish line and pipped me to the bronze by clocking 58.51.

“It has been a year now and I’m still disappointed with the result in Rio,” said Siti, who broke down when asked about her chances in the Asean Para Games.

“A psychologist has been helping me for the past few months to get over the matter.

“I hope to put the matter to rest by defending the gold I won in the 400m in Singapore two years ago.”

In Singapore, she also won bronze in the long jump. But she has given it up to focus on the 800m.

“This will be the first time I’m competing in the 800m in the Asean Para Games.

“I will be happy just to get on the podium,” said Siti.