PETALING JAYA: Past experience has made shot putter Mohd Zikri Zakaria wiser.
After firing blanks in his first Asean Para Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2017, Zikri has been honing his techniques and is aiming at least a silver medal in the men’s F55 wheelchair at the Games in Solo, Indonesia, starting tomorrow.
“This is my second Games and I hope to keep my emotions in check. I hope to show improvement in my technique,” said Zikri, who is the nation’s flagbearer.
At the 2017 edition, Zikri participated in three events – discus, javelin and shot putt – to find out which suited him the most.
Even though he did not finish on the podium, he decided on the shot putt because his result was better than the other two events.
“I used the 2017 SEA Games to decide on which event to focus on. I opted for shot putt and I’ve no regrets,” said Zikri.
Zikri is unsure of the strength of his potential opponents in Solo as it had been five years since the Games was held.
“It may be easy or it could be hard too. Rather than worrying about my opponents, I will just focus on doing my best,” he added.
Zikri is one of 73 athletes who will compete in 91 events from the 11 out of 14 sports contested. They are badminton, boccia, sit-down volleyball, chess, goalball, table tennis, athletics, archery, swimming, powerlifting and wheelchair tennis.
