Bonnie to stick with coach Jamil at Bukit Jalil training base

My mentor: Bonnie Bunyau Gustin (right) believes in coach Jamil Adam in his Commonwealth Games and Asian Para Games campaigns.

PETALING JAYA: Home is the best.

Powerlifter Bonnie Bunyau Gustin will stick to training at Bukit Jalil in a bid to bring back gold medals from the Glasgow Commonwealth Games in July and the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games in September respectively.

While others seek for international base, the 26-year-old Bonnie said he was comfortable training under coach Jamil Adam in Kuala Lumpur, with whom he has a good working relationship since the early days of his sporting career.

“Training in Malaysia is good enough for me as we have all the facilities here and good medical support,” said Bonnie.

“I’ve been with the coaching team for many years and they understand my needs well.

“We will start intensive training soon and I hope to do my best for the Commonwealth and Asian Games, which are my main assignments this year.

“I want to ensure that each lift is successfully completed,” said Bonnie, who claimed Paralympic gold in the men’s below 72kg category at Tokyo 2021 and Paris 2024 editions.

Bonnie was named the winner of the Best Para Athlete at the 2025 SAM- 100Plus awards ceremony on Wednesday.

It was his fourth award and he beat other candidates based on his achievement in winning a fourth straight world title in Cairo, Egypt last year.

Bonnie currently holds the world record with a weight of 232kg in the 72kg category, achieved during the Paris 2024 Paralympics.

“I want to maintain my No. 1 ranking. So far, no one has been able to challenge my record,” he said.