KUCHING: Sabah athlete Freddy Waldie has credited the popular Japanese anime series Naruto for inspiring him to a silver medal finish in the men’s shot put F54 (physical impairment) category at the Malaysia Para Games (Para SUKMA) 2024 here today.
The wheelchair-bound athlete also stole the show at the Sarawak Stadium with his spiky hair and a headband, similar to the character created by Masashi Kishimoto.
“I love watching the Naruto series, especially the fighting spirit it displays, which motivates me to compete. I am actually wearing a wig as I am bald,” Freddie told Bernama after hurling the shot put to a distance of 5.68 metres (m) on his fourth attempt.
That was enough for him to finish second behind Sarawak’s Jap Soon Hung, who defended his gold medal with a new Games record 8.22m to erase his 2022 edition mark of 8.18m.
Sabah’s Muhamad Khairi Military Lorin took bronze with 5.52m.
Freddy admitted to being surprised with his silver medal effort as he had returned home empty handed after finishing fifth in the previous edition.
The 31-year-old athlete said his achievement today was the result of the hard work he had put in over the past two years, including training almost six hours a day to improve his performance.
The athlete from Kiulu also said that his decision to try his luck in athletics in 2021 was like a fresh start for him after a 2013 road accident left him with a spinal injury.
“A friend invited me to join a sports programme in Tambunan and, from there, everything clicked. When I was there, I saw many athletes with disabilities, some even worse than me,” he said.
Meanwhile, the 39-year-old Soon Hung attributed his fourth straight Para SUKMA success in record-breaking style to the support of his wife, 28-year-old Michelle Bonny, who often accompanies him during training.
“My wife often helps me during training sessions. She will retrieve the shot put after I’ve thrown it because I have difficulty moving,” said Soon Hung, who was partially paralysed after developing a growth on his back when he was 12.
Meanwhile, Kelantan’s Muhammad Firdaus Bakar clinched gold in the men’s shot put F35 (physical impairment) category with a distance of 26.98m, followed by teammate Mohd Rozi Mat Hasin (26.21m) and Sabah’s Sabarudding Bacho (17.05m).
