KUCHING: National shot putter Jonah Chang Rigan returned from Taiwan with a gold medal, but the Sarawakian admitted the performance fell short of the mark he had been chasing.
Jonah claimed the men’s shot put title at the New Taipei City Athletics Open 2026 with a best throw of 18.28 metres, finishing ahead of Chinese Taipei’s Hao-Wei Ma (17.66m) and Thailand’s Akkarin Boonlap (17.47m).
The victory came less than a month after the Sarikei-born athlete rewrote his own national record with a throw of 18.81m at the Asian Throwing Championships in Mokpo, South Korea.
Having spoken of his ambition to break the 19m barrier following that performance, Taiwan presented another opportunity to move closer to the milestone.
Instead, fatigue proved a significant challenge despite his eventual victory.
In an interview with Malaysia Athletics after the competition, Jonah admitted he was unable to achieve the target he had set for himself.
“First of all, I’m grateful to God because I still managed to do my best today.
“I didn’t achieve the target I had set for myself.
“But I’m grateful to have won the gold medal.
“My body was feeling worn out today. If you look at today’s results, many athletes were not performing at their usual level.
“If I can say it, I was quite fortunate to come away with the gold medal,” he said.
While pleased with the result, Jonah acknowledged there is still work to be done in his pursuit of Asian Games qualification.
“The qualification for the Asian Games is still far from my current result.
“Right now, the goal is to qualify for the Asian Games,” he added.
The Asian Games qualifying standard stands at 19.41m, while Jonah’s national record remains at 18.81m.
Malaysia enjoyed a successful outing in New Taipei City, returning with three gold medals, one silver and one bronze. Besides Jonah’s triumph, Shereen Samson Vallabouy struck gold in the women’s 400m, while Sadat Marzuqi Ajisan claimed the men’s hammer throw title with a personal-best 65.24m effort. Umar Osman added silver in the men’s 400m, while Mohamad Armin Zahryl secured bronze in the men’s 110m hurdles.
Jonah will now shift his attention to the Malaysia Open Athletics Championships at Stadium UPM in Selangor from June 19-21 as he continues his pursuit of the 19m barrier and a place at the Asian Games.
