From Amiril Muttaqien Meketar
PARIS, Aug 27 (Bernama) -- The national contingent's success in bringing home three gold medals from the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games not only made history for Malaysia but also introduced a new dimension to the country's para sports scene.
The groundbreaking achievements by para athletes Datuk Abdul Latif Romly, Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli and Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi in Brazil have had a significant impact on the development of para sports, an endeavour the community may have overlooked previously.
The Rio 2016 success has driven the nation's para athletes to greater heights, as evident from their haul of three gold and two silver medals at Tokyo 2020, marking Malaysia’s best-ever achievement on the Paralympics stage.
Starting tomorrow, the torch of the national contingent's struggle will continue to burn at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games with a mission to hunt for four more gold medals to complete a total haul of 10 golds at the prestigious global event, thereby marking another new chapter in the nation’s sports history.
All eyes will be on Abdul Latif, who is aiming for a gold hattrick in the men's T20 (intellectual impairment) long jump event, as well as to break his own world record of 7.64 metres set at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Indonesia.
However, the 27-year-old defending champion should be wary of the threat posed by Lakushev Matvei from Russia, who will compete under the Neutral Paralympic Athletes banner.
The 21-year-old Matvei has recorded a better personal best this season, 7.40m compared to Abdul Latif's 7.37m.
In the case of Muhammad Ziyad, Paris 2024 is a stage for redemption as he seeks to reclaim the F20 (intellectual impairment) shot put gold after being denied the medal at Tokyo 2020 due to reporting late to the waiting room before the event.
New gem Muhammad Nazmi Nasri may spring a surprise in the T37 (physical impairment) long jump if he can replicate his golden leap of 6.13m recorded at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, last May.
Hopes also rest on the shoulders of three other male athletes who also shone in Kobe, namely silver medallist in the 100m T44 (physical impairment) Eddy Bernard and two bronze medallists -- T12 (visual impairment) long jumper Jonathan Wong Kar Gee and 400m T20 (intellectual impairment) runner Muhammad Ammar Aiman Nor Azmi -- who are all expected to deliver medals in Paris.
Powerlifting ace Bonnie Bunyau Gustin, who holds the world record of 231kg and Games record of 228kg, is the hot favourite to retain his gold in the men’s up to 72kg category this time.
The Sarawak-born athlete has opened up a big gap with his closest challenger, Donato Telesca from Italy, whose best lift is just 216kg.
However, there may be questions about the ability of Tokyo 2020 silver medallist in the men’s up to 107kg category, Jong Yee Khie, to make it to the podium at Paris 2024, as he is currently ranked fifth in the world with a lift of 230kg.
Besides Bonnie and Yee Khie, the national powerlifting team will be strengthened by newcomer Nicodemus Manggoi Moses, who will compete in the men’s up to 97kg category.
The dominance of Cheah Liek Hou, who enters as the Tokyo 2020 SU5 (physical impairment) men's singles gold medallist and world number one, will undoubtedly be relied upon by the national para badminton camp to rake in gold again.
Nevertheless, the eight-time world champion cannot rest on his laurels. He must be sharp in reading the strategies of his closest challenger, world number two Fang Jen-Yu from Taiwan, as well as his archrival from Indonesia, Dheva Anrimusthi, who defeated him 21-18, 19-21, 17-21 in the final of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Para Games (APG) in China last October.
Liek Hou must also be cautious of his teammate and world number four Muhammad Fareez Anuar, who is undoubtedly well-versed in his playing style and may possess the formula to defeat him at the Porte de La Chapelle Arena.
The national para badminton camp is also banking on two wheelchair players -- Muhammad Ikhwan Ramli (WH1) and Noor Azwan Noorlan (WH2) -- and Hangzhou 2022 APG SL4 (physical impairment) men's singles silver medallist Mohd Amin Burhanuddin for medals.
The absence of the "silent killer" and former national boccia champion, Chew Wei Lun, who retired after winning silver in the BC1 (physical impairment) individual event at the last edition, opens the door for three athletes -- Noor Askuzaimey Mat Salim, Abdul Razzaq Abdul Rahman and Lee Chee Hoong -- to continue his legacy on the Paralympic stage.
Noor Askuzaimey’s performance in the BC4 women’s individual event (physical impairment) is not to be underestimated, as she is the APG 2022 gold medallist, while Chee Hoong's success in clinching silver in the BC2 men's individual event (physical impairment) at the same games brings new hope for the national boccia camp here.
After emerging as the 2019 world champion, the performance of the national para archery ace, S. Suresh, in the recurve event has somewhat declined, including an early exit in the 1/16 elimination round during his debut at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, where he lost 2-6 to a representative of the Russian Paralympic Committee, Bato Tsydendorzhiev.
It is hoped that the bitter experience in Tokyo 2020 will mature Suresh, who will be accompanied by two new comrades in the compound event, namely G. Daneshen (men) and the best female athlete of the 2022 Para Malaysia Games, Nur Jannaton Abdul Jalil.
Similar to the national para athletics team, the para cycling squad will also field six athletes led by Mohamad Yusof Hafizi Shaharuddin, who won bronze in the men’s C1 (physical impairment) 1-kilometre time trial at the 2024 World Para Track Cycling Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The success in Brazil can be a tonic for the Kuala Kangsar athlete as he is set to compete in four events overall, including the men’s C1 3,000-metre pursuit, which is the main hope for the cycling camp to finish on the podium in his second appearance at the Paralympics after returning empty-handed from Tokyo 2020.
In addition to Mohamad Yusof Hafizi, the cycling squad in Paris will include Muhammad Adi Raimie Amizazahan and four female athletes, namely Nur Azlia Syafinaz Mohd Zais along with her pilot Nurul Suhada Zainal and Nur Suraiya Muhamad Zamri-Farina Shawati Mohd Adnan (pilot).
Recently, Paralympic Council Malaysia president Datuk Seri Megat D Shahriman predicted that a miracle might happen for the national para swimming team, featuring Muhammad Nur Syaiful Zulkafli and Muhammad Imaan Aiman Muhammad Redzuan, in the competition at the Paris La Defense Arena.
Although Megat D Shahriman did not say which swimmer would excel, it all rests on Muhammad Nur Syaiful, who will compete in four events, including the men’s S5 (physical impairment) 50m freestyle, or Muhammad Imaan Aiman in the men’s S14 (intellectual impairment) 100m backstroke, to deliver a powerful stroke that could shake Paris.
National wheelchair tennis player Abu Samah Borhan needs to prove why he deserves to compete on the Paralympic stage for the third consecutive time, even though his name was listed at the last minute for Paris through a 'bipartite' slot, by showing a stronger performance after early exits at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020.
After competing in the men’s singles in the past two editions, a double duty awaits Abu Samah in Paris as he is also listed for the doubles event alongside his partner, Mohamad Yusshazwan Yusuf, who qualified for Paris 2024 on merit in the men’s singles event.
With just 30 athletes competing in eight sports, Malaysia's largest Paralympic contingent since their debut in the 1972 edition in Heidelberg, Germany, the country needs to display high resilience so that the cheers for success are not drowned out among more than 4,000 athletes who will grace Paris 2024.
Borrowing the words of the French people, "bonne chance" (good luck) to the nation's extraordinary athletes at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games!
-- BERNAMA
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