Weightlifter Aniq Kasdan secured Malaysia’s first gold medal of the 2022 Commonwealth Games after lifting a total of 249kg in the men’s 55kg category.
The 20-year-old (107kg) was initially trailing behind India’s Sanket Mahadev Sargar (113kg) after the snatch at the National Exhibition Centre.
However, the Indian only managed to lift 135kg in the clean and jerk, allowing Aniq to get ahead by setting a new Games record of 142kg.
Dilanka Isuru Kumara Yodage of Sri Lanka finished third with a total of 225kg.
Aniq went into the contest among the medal favourites after winning silver at the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships and bronze at the 2021 Southeast Asian Games.
The Malaysian Weightlifting Federation targeted one gold and two silver medals in Birmingham, England.
Malaysia brought home three medals from Gold Coast four years ago through Fazrul Azrie Mohdad (men’s 85kg bronze), Azroy Hazalwafie (men’s 56kg gold) and Aznil Bidin (men’s 62kg gold), who is in action later in the men’s 61kg category.
Other national weighlifters participating in the 2022 edition are Erry Hidayat (men’s 73kg), Nasir Roslan (men’s 81kg), Hafiz Shamsuddin (109kg), Elly Cassandra Engelbert (women’s 55kg) and Marceeta Marlyne (women’s 59kg).
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