HANGZHOU: National para shot put ace and defending champion Ziyad Zolkefli completed an unprecedented hattrick of gold medals after retaining the men’s shot put gold at the Asian Para Games (APG) today.
The gold medal won by Ziyad is Malaysia’s third in Hangzhou.
The 33-year-old, who won the T20 category (intellectual disability) gold medal at the 2014 Incheon and 2018 Jakarta-Palembang Para Asian Games, clinched his third gold medal in the event.
Ziyad hurled a throw of 16.65m in his third attempt to leave his rivals fighting for second and third place at the Huanglong Sports Centre Stadium.
The Selangor-born shot putter was almost 3m ahead of teammate Aliff Awi, who took silver with a throw of 13.75m, with Thailand’s Sanepoot Boonkong claiming the bronze with an effort of 13.67m.
“I am very satisfied with my performance and victory today and I dedicate the gold medal to the people of Malaysia. I am also proud to have completed a hattrick of wins in the APG,” Ziyad said.
He secured a spot at the 2024 Paris Paralympics on merit after winning a silver medal at the World Championships in Paris and will now be gunning for another gold medal outing next year to bury the ghost of the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020.
Ziyad had won the gold medal but was disqualified following a protest from Ukraine that he had reported late to the call room. - FMT
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