GLASGOW: National weightlifting ace Mohamad Aniq Kasdan endured a nerve-wracking moment when both his legs suffered muscle cramps before going on to win the gold medal at the 2026 Commonwealth Games here today.
Mohamad Aniq said the cramps occurred during the warm-up session before he began competing in the men’s 60kg category at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) Armadillo.
However, the 24-year-old athlete remained composed to produce his best lifts, delivering Malaysia’s first gold medal at the Games.
“The most challenging moment was during the warm-up session. When there were only two lifts left, both my legs started cramping. At that moment, I thought, ‘Oh my, this is bad. I hope it doesn’t end my run,’ because my target was to win gold.
“Alhamdulillah, everything went smoothly. It was a struggle earlier, and during my first attempt I was worried that the cramps would return, but when I did not feel them after the first lift, I immediately gained confidence that I could bring home the gold medal for Malaysia,” he told Bernama.
In today’s competition, Mohamad Aniq registered a total lift of 273kg, comprising 121kg in the snatch and 152kg in the clean and jerk.
More significantly, he also broke two Games records through his clean and jerk lift and overall total.
He said the achievement was meaningful as it not only allowed him to defend the gold medal he won at the Birmingham 2022 edition, but also made him Malaysia’s first gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games once again.
“I am happy to have brought home the gold medal for Malaysia and defended the gold medal from the previous edition. Once again, I became the first person to win a gold medal for Malaysia at this Commonwealth Games,” he said.
The silver medal was won by India’s Rishikanta Singh Chanambam with a total lift of 264kg, while Kenya’s Joshua Amunga Mboya took bronze with 260kg.
Mohamad Aniq’s success also ended Malaysia’s wait for a gold medal after the national contingent had earlier secured a bronze through para powerlifting ace Bonnie Bunyau Gustin in the men’s lightweight category.
At Birmingham 2022, Mohamad Aniq delivered Malaysia’s first gold medal after topping the men’s 55kg category with a total lift of 249kg.
He recorded 107kg in the snatch and 142kg in the clean and jerk, which was a new Games record at the time. — BERNAMA
