Mohd Hafifi Mansor is one of the seven lifters from the current elite squad.
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) will not settle for anything less than a gold at the Commonwealth Games from July 23-Aug 3.
MWF secretary-general Pang Siew Huat believes their lifters are capable of meeting the target in Glasgow.
“Our target is gold and nothing else. Coming home with any other medal would be a disappointment,” said Siew Huat.
The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) are set to announce the names of the athletes for the Games on Monday.
“We’ve given the OCM a list of 17 names because we believe in our lifters. We don’t want any of them to miss the boat. We’ll see who gets into the squad on Monday,” said Siew Huat.
“We’ve got some young lifters that we believe are ready to take the next step. So, we will use the second leg of the National Circuit in Perlis next month to see if they can cut it and then we’ll finalise the squad. We want to make sure we have the best chance at winning medals in Glasgow.”
MWF’s elite squad now have seven lifters. The two men are Mohd Hafifi Mansor (69kg) and Mohd Faiz Musa (94kg). There are five – Azizah Fadzil (53kg), Franceay Titus (58kg), Elyone Matin (63kg), Nor Khasida Abd Halim (69kg) and Intan Ayuni Abdullah (75kg) – in the women’s team.
Besides that, the MWF have been looking to bolster the men’s team. Twenty-year-old Constantine Clement Awos of the back-up squad is one of those tipped to be promoted to the elite team.
“We’ve got a good competition in the boys’ back-up squad. We’ve got at least two lifters in each category which is a huge plus for us. It’s an enviable situation but it’s also a real headache because we have to make a decision now,” said Siew Huat.
“For us, it’s not about the numbers. Even if we have a small squad, but one that can deliver the medals time and again, we’ll be happy. We want consistency and lifters who we can trust to deliver when it matters,” he added.
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