Nur Afiqah dreams of national call-up after record-breaking feats

WEIGHTLIFTER Nur Afiqah Nadrah Mohammed Borhan (pic) is hoping to land a place in the national team after powering her way to a new national record.

The Selangor athlete pulled off the feat in the girls’ below 90kg snatch event after lifting 92kg in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) at the Merdeka Hall in Tapah yesterday.

The 20-year-old was head and shoulders above others by erasing the previous record of 91kg set by Siti Aisyah Mohd Rosli at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games last April. The category is contested for the first time in Sukma.

The lass from Hulu Klang also claimed the clean and jerk event gold medal after setting a new Games record with a lift of 116kg yesterday.

Afiqah hoped the two gold-medal feat with records will be the beginning of great things for her.

“It has always been my dream to become a national athlete and I hope this record will get me a spot,” said Afiqah.

“My personal best is 95kg which I did in training a few months ago. I couldn’t lift more today because I’m coming off a shoulder injury.”

Afiqah, who won the snatch gold medal in the below 75kg category at the 2016 Sarawak Sukma, said her decision to go up the weight class paid dividends and thanked coach Mohd Tamyis.

“I was a rough and tough girl growing up and my father introduced me to coach Tamyis in our village and he got me focused in this sport,” she said.

“Then, I moved on to the Selangor state team to train under coach Naharudin Mahayuddin.

“I moved up the weight class because I felt that I lacked the energy in the under 75kg. I’m more comfortable in this new class.”