KUALA LUMPUR – Shot putter Jonah Chang Rigan wants to be the first Malaysian to break the 20m mark after smashing the national record at the Mokpo International Athletics Championships in South Korea on Tuesday.
Jonah hurled the iron ball to a distance of 17.67m, breaking a 12-year-old record of 17.54m, which was set by Adi Alifuddin Hussin at the Palembang SEA Games in 2011.
The youngster finished fifth in the tournament.
Now, the 20-year-old wants to be the first Malaysian to hit the 20m mark.
“Breaking the record is a huge boost for me, but I want to be the first Malaysian to hit the 20m mark,” he told the press at the MoU signing between the Malaysian Athletics Federation and Cahya Mata Sarawak yesterday.
Commenting on his record throw, the Sarikei-born youngster said he did not expect to break the long-standing record as his focus was on overall improvement.
“It’s not easy to break the record, so I was just focusing on mastering the rotation technique.
“Even in training, I had surpassed the mark. But I had no intention of focusing on breaking the record. I just wanted to do my best and focus on my technique,” he added.
Looking forward to upcoming multi-sport events – the 2024 Sarawak Sukma and the 2025 Thailand SEA Games – Jonah has set his sights on podium finishes in both games.
“The next Sukma is my last, so I want to defend my gold medal and maybe break the Games record. In the upcoming SEA Games, I want to win a medal, regardless of the medal color,” said Jonah. – October 26, 2023