Irfan Eyes Asian Games Gold After Dominating SEA Games For More Than A Decade
From Ahmad Nazrin Syahmi Mohamad Arif
BANGKOK, Dec 16 (Bernama) -- National discus throw ace Muhammad Irfan Shamsuddin has now set a bigger target for himself - to hunt for a gold medal at the Asian Games - after solidifying his dominance by winning a seventh consecutive gold at the 2025 Thailand SEA Games here, today.
Muhammad Irfan said the target is not a mere dream but a realistic goal based on his current performance and positive developments in his training.
The Negeri Sembilan-born said thorough preparation and comprehensive support are crucial to ensuring this mission can be realised ahead of the quadrennial sports event in Japan next year.
"Of course, my next target is much bigger. What I see now is a clear picture, which is the Asian Games gold. It is something reasonable and achievable, not just a fantasy.
"I just need support from all parties for this entire preparation," said the 30-year-old athlete when met after the men's discus final at the Suphachalasai Stadium here.
In today's action, a throw of 60.23 meters (m) on his second attempt was enough for Muhammad Irfan to confirm the gold medal and set a Games record, erasing the 59.50m mark that had stood for 26 years, set by Wong Tuck Yim of Singapore in the 1999 edition in Brunei.
Thailand's Srisai Kiadpradid won silver with a throw of 53.82m, and the bronze belonged to Filipino athlete Ricaforte Russel Je, who recorded a distance of 53.34m.
Muhammad Irfan's performance on the Asian stage has shown improvement since his debut, where he finished 12th at the Incheon 2014 edition with a throw of 53.86m, before jumping to fifth place during the Jakarta-Palembang edition 2018 (57.70m), and sixth place at Hangzhou 2022 with a personal best of 58.94m.
Meanwhile, recalling his career journey in the SEA Games, Muhammad Irfan said he did not set a specific target during his debut in Myanmar back in 2013, but later began setting goals, including chasing the Games record, in the 2015 and 2017 editions in Singapore and Malaysia.
He also revealed that his success this time was achieved through the adjustment of his training programme with coach Robert Fazekas, especially during the winter preparation period, which typically makes it difficult for athletes to achieve long throwing distances.
"For my sport, the current preparation is winter training, and it is usually difficult to throw far. But my coach and I changed our approach; we reduced the training load a bit, and it worked," he said.
He admitted he was satisfied with today's achievement and even felt he was close to breaking the national record.
"Honestly, I could feel I could set the national record today. That feeling was definitely there. If the throw exceeds 60m, it needs to be really strong. I am 100 per cent confident I can do 63m to 64m because I have reached that distance in training," he said.
Muhammad Irfan's national record is 62.55m, which he set in May 2017 in Austria.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Irfan's victory is the fifth gold for the national athletics squad here, following Grace Wong’s in the women's hammer throw, Jonah Chang Rigan (men's shot put), Nani Sahirah Maryata (women's shot put), and Andre Anura in the men's long jump.
-- BERNAMA
