KUALA LUMPUR, July 5 — National para sprinter Muhamad Afiq Mohamad Ali Hanafiah is eyeing the opportunity to fulfil two important missions in his second appearance at the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, China, later this year.
After returning empty-handed at the 2018 edition in Indonesia, Muhamad Afiq hopes to make up for the disappointment by bringing home at least a bronze in the 100m men's T12 event (vision impairment).
The 28-year-old athlete is also determined to break his own national record of 11.10s in the event when he clinched silver at the 2023 Asean Para Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, last month.
"I hope to break the national record with a new record of 11s at the 2022 Para Asian Games.
"Although I won a bronze medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast, luck was not on my side in the Para Asian Games (that year). If I can record 11s in Hangzhou, the chances of getting a medal are quite bright," he told Bernama.
Muhamad Afiq, however, expects stiff competition from the defending champion Mansur Abdirashidov of Uzbekistan, the last edition's silver medallist, Shunya Yamaji of Japan, and the gold medal winner of the 2023 Asean Para Games, Eko Saputra of Indonesia, in his quest to grab a podium position at the Games.
The Johor-born athlete, who is now actively training under coach Hamberi Mahat, said he will participate in two local tournaments, namely the Johor Open and the Kuala Lumpur Open before heading to Hangzhou.
"InsyaAllah, I will compete with normal athletes in the two tournaments which are meant as warm-up action ahead of the Games," he said.
— Bernama
