ALOR SETAR: The Kedah Weightlifting Association (PABK) are targeting three gold medals in the 2024 Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Sarawak in August.
PABK president Yahaya Sani said 16 of the state’s lifters, eight men and eight women, are being relied on to deliver the medals to the Kedah contingent at the Aug 17-24 Games.
“We are counting on them to bring home a gold medal in the 64-kilogramme (kg) category. We will determine which category the other two golds will come from later and careful preparation is being carried out to achieve our target,” he told reporters here today.
Yahaya also said that they are determined to unearth more new talents in weightlifting for the country, like Aznil Bidin who clinched two gold medals in the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games.
Yahaya said another Kedah-born lifter, Nur Syazwani Radzi bagged bronze in the 2023 SEA Games, thus proving that the state does not lack talent in the sport.
“We will continue to look for new talents not only for Sukma but also for the Commonwealth Games. Our talent search programme will be an ongoing effort,” he said.
He added that, so far, they are grooming two lifters (one man and one woman) to represent the country in the 2026 Commonwealth Games and hope to train many more young talent for future international competitions.–Bernama