Para athletes’ hopes of golden glitter in Gold Coast dashed
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia will not be able to count on Paralympic heroes Ziyad Zolkefli (pic), Ridzuan Puzi and Abdul Latif Romly to contribute to the gold medal count at the Commonwealth Games in Australia next year.
The Games at Gold Coast from April 4-15 will see para athletes competing in seven sports alongside their able-bodied counterparts. The seven sports where the medals won by the para athletes will count to the country’s overall tally are athletics, swimming, lawn bowls, powerlifting, track cycling, table tennis and triathlon.
But the bad news is the events that Ziyad, Abdul Latif and Ridzuan won at last year’s Rio Paralympics will not be contested in Gold Coast.
In Rio, Ziyad won the gold in the men’s F20 (learning disability) shot putt while Abdul Latif emerged champion in the men’s T20 long jump. Both Ziyad and Abdul Latif also retained their golds at the World ParaAthletics Championships in London in July.
Ridzuan was the men’s T36 (cerebral palsy) 100m gold medallist in Rio, but he could only manage a silver in the London world meet.
All three were also gold medallists at last month’s Asean Para Games in Kuala Lumpur.
“Unfortunately, the only events for para athletes at the Commonwealth Games are for the blind, those without limbs and those in wheelchair,” said Ziyad after the Commonwealth Games Queen’s Baton Run in Bukit Jalil on Tuesday.
“I think my option now is to compete with the normal bodied athletes. But my chances are slim as the standard is higher in the Commonwealth Games.
“I need to improve my personal best to around 18.50m to finish in the top five,” added Ziyad, who holds the world shot putt para record at 17.29m.
The 27-year-old Ziyad made history when he won a bronze at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games in August, making him the first para athlete to win a medal in an able-bodied event.
At the last Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014, Malaysia finished 12th overall with a 6-7-6 haul.
It was one of Malaysia’s worst performances in Commonwealth Games history as they fell out of the top 10 for the first time in 16 years.