Ziyad vows to rewrite his shot putt record this year
KUALA LUMPUR: National para athlete Muhd Ziyad Zolkefli is hell-bent on rewriting his world record in shot putt this year.
The 28-year-old shot putter from Gombak is determined to hit the 17.50m mark in competitions.
Ziyad did not take a break from training after winning gold in the men’s F20 (intellectual disability) with a throw of 16.94m in the Asian Para Games in Jakarta last October.
His effort in Jakarta was way off his personal best and world record of 17.29m he set to win gold in the World Para Athletics Championships in London in 2017.
Ziyad, who is two-time world champion, said that he was not pleased with his performance in competitions last year.
“I broke the world records in 2016 and 2017 but last year, I failed to come close to my world records,” said Ziyad.
“I’ve vowed to train much harder to break the world record for the third time. My mission this year is to hit the 17.50m mark.
“I did not take a break after winning gold in the Asian Para Games last October. I’m putting more effort into training to achieve my goal.
“My coach Mohd Faizol Harun, who I’ve been training under for the last nine years, is pushing me to the limit,” said Ziyad, who broke the world record with an effort of 16.84m to win gold in the 2016 Rio Paralympics – erasing the previous record of 16.29m set by Australian Todd Hodgetts in 2007.
In 2017, Ziyad rewrote his world record with a throw of 17.29m to win the gold in the World Para Athletics Championships in London. His first competition this year will be the National Open Championships in Bukit Jalil on March 2829.
“I’ll be competing against the able-bodied athletes and this will push me to do a good throw in the championships.
“I also want to book a place in the Philippines in December by finishing in the top two,” said Ziyad.
He made his debut in the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games and surprised able-bodied athletes to win a bronze with an effort of 17.12m.
Ziyad is the first Malaysian para athlete to win a medal in the SEA Games.
Ziyad and world 100m T36 (cerebral palsy) champion Mohamad Ridzuan Puzi are among the top para athletes to feature in the World OKU Day at the Paralympic Centre of Excellence in Kampung Pandan today.