TOKYO: A drastic action to intensify grassroots powerlifting programmes should be organised to ensure the success of the two Malaysian athletes at the Tokyo Paralympic Games will continue to persist in the future.
The national powerlifting camp had indeed displayed excellent performance after Bonnie Bunyau Gustin who contested in the men’s 72-kg category created history as the first athlete to clinch the gold medal for Malaysia at the Games last Saturday, followed by Jong Yee Khie, who bagged the silver in the men’s 107kg yesterday.
National coach Jamil Adam suggested that the drastic action should encompass intensified efforts to scout for new talents so as to ensure that Malaysia will not face a shortage of athletes to represent the country in future games or competitions.
He said, at present, the national powerlifting camp only has 50 athletes, both men and women, compared to Indonesia or Thailand which has 300 athletes, including the junior and the backup line in their squad.
“I do hope that the success stories created by Bonnie and Yee Khie will be a morale booster for those (sports clubs or associations) at the state level to enliven the grassroots programmes to scout for young talents in powerlifting.
“If the programmes run smoothly, I believe that our athletes will be able to go further in the future,” he told a virtual media conference.
Meanwhile, Jamil also expressed satisfaction with the overall performance of his team in Japan, saying that it was the result of proper planning done over the past several years.
He said the decision to change Yee Khie’s category from 97kg to 107kg turned out to be fruitful after the 32-year-old Sarawak athlete won the silver medal in his second appearance after Rio 2016.
The 52-year-old coach admitted that Yee Khie did not perform well while competing in the 97kg category in Rio, as he could only finish in seventh place.
Nevertheless, he said he truly admired the athlete’s strong willpower and determination to strive for success, which was proven yesterday.
He said Yee Khie was willing to learn from his mistakes and bounce back to display the best performance in every competition he participated in and obviously, “fear is not in his vocabulary”. – Bernama
