By Nur Ashikin Louis
KUCHING, Aug 30: Sarawakian powerlifter Jong Yee Khie has secured a second medal for Malaysia today after winning silver at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
The 33-year-old successfully cleared 237kg on his second attempt, enough for him to secure the silver in the men’s Under 107kg category.
The gold medal was won by Sodnompiljee Enkhbayar of Mongolia who set a new Games record of 245kg, erasing the previous record of 238kg set by Greece’s Pavlos Mamalos in the 2016 Rio Games.
Meanwhile, Saman Razi from Iran won the bronze medal with a 231kg effort.
Jong who hails from Batu Kawa, Kuching, is a hairstylist who had his leg amputated after being involved in a motorcycle accident in 2005.
He was a silver medalist in the men’s above 107kg category at the 11th Fazza Dubai 2021 Para Powerlifting World Cup held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in June this year.
His previous achievements include winning a silver medal at the 2018 Commonwealth Games, gold medals at the 2015 and 2016 Asean Para Games respectively as well as a bronze medal at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
On Saturday (Aug 28), Jong’s teammate Bonnie Bunyau Gustin who is also a Sarawakian won the first gold for Malaysia as he set a new Games record of 228kg in the men’s Under 72kg category. — DayakDaily
