KUALA LUMPUR - The national weightlifting squad continued to shine when Muhammad Erry Hidayat won the silver medal at the 2022 Commonwealth Games Qualifiers in Toshkent, Uzbekistan, last night.
Competing in the 73 kilogramme (kg) category, Muhammad Erry lifted 136kg in the snatch and 165kg in the clean and jerk for a cumulative weight of 301kg.
The gold medal went to Achinta Sheuli of India who automatically qualified for the Games in Birmingham, United Kingdom while Mudiyanselage Indika Chathur Dissanayake from Sri Lanka took home the bronze.
The tournament, being held together with the 2021 World Weightlifting Championships, saw the performance of the 22-year-old from Kuala Lumpur in 12th place with Indonesian Erwin Abdullah winning gold while Briken Calja from Albania won the silver. Suttipong Jeeram of Thailand took the bronze.
Malaysian Weightlifting Federation president Datuk Ayub Rahmat, in a statement, said the national athletes, who have not yet won a place in the Games in Birmingham, are expected to participate in the Commonwealth Games Qualifying Championships in Singapore next year.
Muhammad Erry made history when he won gold in the men's 69kg event with a total lift of 255kg at the Commonwealth Youth Championships in Apia, Samoa in September 2015.
Earlier, two national champions, Muhamad Aznil Bidin, who had won gold in the 61kg category and Mohamad Aniq Kasdan, who topped the 55kg category, booked their slots for the Birmingham at the meet in Uzbekistan. – Bernama, December 11, 2021
