Asian Games: Mohamad Syahmi Not Setting High Expectations, Aims To Maintain Momentum

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 19 (Bernama) -- National weightlifter Mohamad Syahmi Nor Ghazali prefers not to set his expectations too high ahead of his debut at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, scheduled to take place from Sept 19 to Oct 4.

However, the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games champion, who will compete in the 95kg category, remains determined to put on his best performance in a bid to maintain his positive momentum on the international stage.

Mohamad Syahmi made a sensational Commonwealth Games debut by winning the men’s 94kg gold medal with a total lift of 347kg, comprising 150kg in the snatch and 197kg in the clean and jerk, which was also a new Games record.

He said the preparation period for Japan was rather short, as he only had a day or two to rest after returning from Glasgow last month before resuming training.

“For the Asian Games, I want to try to give my best. When the opportunity to compete at the Asian Games came, of course I wanted to take it and try to do my best,” he said during a visit by the chef de mission (CDM) and deputy CDM to the Asian Games training venue at the National Sports Council, Bukit Jalil, today.

Mohamad Syahmi acknowledged that competition at the Asian Games would be tougher than at the Commonwealth Games,

“Competition in Asia is definitely tougher because there are China, North Korea, Iran and several other strong countries. But I will still try to give my best when competing against them,” he said.

He said making his Asian Games debut would also be important for gaining experience, having only been with the national squad on a full-time basis for about a year.

“I still have a lot to learn and need to compete in more overseas competitions to gain experience and reduce my nervousness,” he said.

Besides Mohamad Syahmi, national star Muhammad Erry Hidayat, who also won gold in the 79kg event in Glasgow, will compete in the 85kg category in Japan.

-- BERNAMA