Irfan aiming to surpass 65m mark next year

KUALA LUMPUR: It’s been a great year for national discus thrower Muhd Irfan Shamsuddin (pic).

But he’s hoping to make it even greater next year – by aiming to surpass the 65m barrier.

He will have two major competitions to try and achieve it – at the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, Australia (April 5-14) and the Asian Games in Jakarta (Aug 18-Sept 2).

Irfan broke the national record three times during his 53-day training-cum-competition stint in Europe in May.

He hurled the discus 61.10m in the Under-23 Hallesche Werfertage Championships in Halle, Germany, on May 21.

His effort erased his mark of 59.29m set in the Slovak Clubs Championships in Samorin, Slovakia, in June last year.

Two days later, he improved it with an effort of 61.55m in Turnov, the Czech Republic.

On May 26, he bettered his record for the third time with a throw of 62.55m at a meet in Linz, Austria.

In the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games last month, he overcame a sprained left ankle to win the discus gold with a throw of 58.36m.

The 22-year-old Irfan said that he would see a doctor next week to find out when he can start training for competitions next year.

“I will leave for Brisbane in December with my coach (Frantisek Petrovic) to train there in preparation for the Commonwealth Games,” he said.

After the Commonwealth Games, he will head to Europe for another two-month training stint to prepare for the Jakarta Asiad.