PHNOM PENH: National para shot putter Mohammad Zikri Zakaria wants to dedicate his gold medal at the 2023 ASEAN Para Games (APG) in Cambodia to his second older brother Zolkarnain Zakaria, who has sacrificed so much for his success on the international stage.
The 24-year-old Mohammad Zikri bagged gold in the men’s shot put (F55 - wheelchair) with a throw of 9.86 metres (m) described his second older brother, who he fondly calls ‘Angah’, as a loyal person who has always been by his side in good times and bad times.
Recalling the dark moment that changed his life 10 years ago, Mohammad Zikri said he fell from the second floor of his secondary school in Negeri Sembilan when he was 15.
“I was celebrating the birthday of a friend when it happened, maybe I was so excited running along the corridor that I did not realise there was no barrier and fell.
“I was not unconscious but felt numb and it was only later that I was told by my family that I was paralysed from the waist down when the result of the x-ray came out,” he said after erasing the old APG record of 9.05m that he had set in Solo, Indonesia in the previous edition.
The Negeri Sembilan-born shot putter said that once they knew he would need specific care, Angah decided to quit working as a soldier to take care of him at their home in Kuala Pilah.
He was touched and grateful that his second oldest brother of 10 siblings was willing to give up the career he loved and switch to working in the village, which provided just enough for their needs.
“It was the never-give-up spirit of my family and friends that has taken me here, especially Angah, who has supported me all this while that I managed to set a new record today.
“When I fell 10 years ago, Angah told me “dare to do, dare to bear” but, until today, he is the most dedicated in supporting me,” he said.
In the men’s shot put (F55 - wheelchair) event at the Morodok Techo National Stadium today, Malaysia’s Muhammad Amirul Alif Abdul Raof (8.98m) took silver while Indonesia’s Riandi Saputra (7.82m) settled for bronze.
Mohammad Zikri will continue his quest for a second medal tomorrow when he competes in the T55 javelin event.
He has an excellent personal record in the event, having clinched gold in the 2022 Malaysia Para Games (Para Sukma) with a throw of 20.97m. - Bernama