Lifter Aniq smashes Games mark to deliver Malaysia’s first gold

PETALING JAYA: National weightlifter Aniq Kasdan proved he remains in a class of his own by not only delivering a gold medal but also breaking the Commonwealth Games record despite competing in a new weight category.

The 24-year-old brought relief to the Malaysian camp by winning the country’s first gold medal after three days of competition at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.

Competing at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), Aniq opened with a superb 121kg lift in the snatch before adding 152kg in the clean and jerk for a winning total of 273kg, eclipsing the previous Commonwealth Games record.

It marked another memorable outing for Aniq, who also struck gold and set a Games record in the men’s 55kg division on his Commonwealth Games debut in Birmingham four years ago with lifts of 107kg in the snatch and 142kg in the clean and jerk.

Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) president Datuk Ayub Rahmat said Aniq’s success came as no surprise following months of meticulous preparation in Rompin, Pahang and a month-long training camp in Turkiye.

The MWF have set themselves an ambitious target of three gold medals in Glasgow, accounting for more than half of Malaysia’s overall target of five golds, two silvers and four bronzes.

“We are grateful to have delivered Malaysia’s first gold medal through Aniq Kasdan, and this is the first of the three gold medals we targeted before the Games.

“We have achieved the first one, and hopefully it will inspire our other athletes to achieve the targets we have set,” said Ayub.

India’s Rishikanta Singh Chanambam took the silver medal with a total of 264kg, while Kenya’s Joshua Amunga Mboya claimed bronze on 260kg.