PETALING JAYA: Carrying his late mother's shirt and sweater with him to Glasgow gave Mohd Aznil Bidin the extra motivation he needed to make history at the Commonwealth Games.
The sentimental keepsakes inspired the national weightlifter to win the men's 65kg gold medal and become the first Malaysian athlete to strike gold at three consecutive Commonwealth Games after triumphing at Gold Coast 2018 and Birmingham 2022.
Aznil admitted the absence of his mother, Haslina Hamzah, who passed away in February last year, was something he felt deeply as she had always been one of his biggest supporters throughout his weightlifting career.
However, bringing along his late mother's shirt and sweater gave the 31-year-old added strength as he not only defended his title but also rewrote the Games records in the snatch, clean and jerk and total lift.
"Previously, I dedicated my gold medals at the previous two Commonwealth Games to my mother, but she's no longer with us after passing away last year.
"I was emotional. I brought my mother's shirt and sweater with me to give me strength because I no longer have my mother's prayers in person, but I have always believed her blessings are still with me," Aznil told the National Sports Council (NSC).
Competing at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) Armadillo on Sunday, Aznil lifted 133kg in the snatch and 166kg in the clean and jerk for a Games record total of 299kg.
"I'm overwhelmed because I did this for my family and for all Malaysians. Thank you to everyone who prayed for me to achieve this hat-trick.
"At first, I was worried because you never know how your opponents have prepared, but I'm grateful I managed to win three consecutive gold medals," he added.
Aznil acknowledged that defending his title for a third successive Commonwealth Games was far from easy and credited coach Edmund Teo for devising the right strategy to help him stay ahead of his rivals.
His winning total of 299kg put him well clear of India's Raja Muthupandi, who took silver with 286kg, while Papua New Guinea's Morea Baru claimed bronze on 282kg.
"I'm proud of this achievement because four years is a long time to wait and you never know what might happen. I'm grateful to have defended my gold medal three times. It feels amazing.
"I'm satisfied with today's performance. Everything went according to plan and my coach's strategy worked well. I had built a comfortable lead after the snatch, so I only needed to lift safely in the clean and jerk to secure the gold," said Aznil.
