PHNOM PENH: The national discus thrower, Muhammad Irfan Shamsuddin (pix), was furious despite successfully defending his gold at the 2023 SEA Games here, today.
Muhammad Irfan who won the event with the best throw in his second attempt, 57.83 metres (m), admitted that he was unhappy with the mistake made by a technical officer in his first throw in the competition at Morodok Techo National Stadium.
The 27-year-old athlete claimed he had successfully broken the SEA Games record of 59.50m held by Singaporean athlete Wong Tuck Yim in the 1999 edition in Brunei.
“One of the officers mistakenly raised the red flag when he should have raised the white flag during the first attempt, I believe it was a SEA Games record on my first throw...I really saw my mark close to the 60m line.
“I really plan to come here to do well on the first throw as I really focus my energy on it and after that my energy is drained and my body is weak, that’s because I want to spend it on the first throw and the rest I just follow the flow,“ he told reporters here, today.
Although admitting his focus was slightly disturbed by the incident, Muhammad Irfan hopes to come back stronger in the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships in Pattaya, Thailand, from July 12 to 16, apart from the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, scheduled from September 23 to October 8.
Today’s success saw Muhammad Irfan grab six golds in a row since winning it for the first time in the 2013 edition in Myanmar.
Meanwhile, two Thai athletes namely Kiadpradid Srisai (51.89m) and Bandit Singhatongkul (50.02m) won silver and bronze medals respectively. -Bernama
