KUALA LUMPUR – National para-athlete Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli is still yearning for a Paralympic gold medal after he was “denied” as the winner at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
In the episode, the 34-year-old athlete was classified as “Did Not Start” (DNS) following a protest by the Ukrainian team who claimed the shot putter reported late to the waiting room before the competition.
Describing himself at his best level compared to eight years ago when he first won gold in Rio 2016, Ziyad is now confident of taking home the gold medal from Paris.
“It’s been a long wait because (I achieved) bronze in 2012, gold in 2016, followed by the (Tokyo) drama in 2021. In 2024, God willing, I will perform my best because I’m not young anymore (but) competing with young people. I want to prove that age is not a deterrent as long as we put in the effort.
“Before this, if you can do 16.5m or more, you can feel free. Now, even 17m doesn’t guarantee gold (at the Paralympics).
“In fact, my Asian record of 17.43m does not determine the gold medal, so I have to go 17.8m or further,” he said.
However, Ziyad expects fierce competition from athletes from other countries such as Ukraine, France and Turkey at the Paris Paralympics.
Ziyad previously won the men’s shot put event F20 (intellectual record) at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan with a throw of 17.43m.
Even sweeter, the throw at the Kobe Universiade Memorial Stadium saw him beat his own Asian record of 17.29m at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London.
Ziyad’s participation in the Rio 2016 Paralympics previously saw him record a throw of 16.84m to bring home gold for Malaysia.
The Tokyo 2020 controversy saw Ukrainian athlete Maksym Koval dubbed as the gold winner with a throw of 17.34m, breaking Ziyad’s world record of 17.29m which was done at the 2017 World Para Athletics Championships in London.
The Paris 2024 Paralympic Games will take place from August 28 to September 8. – June 4, 2024