Aliff Aims To Bounce Back, Improve Throwing Technique In Bid For LA28 Ticket

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 26 (Bernama) -- Losing the silver medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games has spurred national F20 shot put athlete Mohamad Aliff Mohamad Awi to improve his throwing technique as he pursues qualification for the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympic Games (LA28).

Aliff, who won silver at the 2022 Hangzhou edition, admitted that his performance at this edition of the Games had fallen short of expectations, but said he was still grateful to have made it onto the podium and contributed a bronze medal to the national contingent.

He said his main focus now was to refine his throwing technique, which remained inconsistent, particularly as his performance in training differed from that in competition.

"If there is anything I need to improve, I want to focus on my technique because it has been somewhat disrupted. My performance in training is different from my performance in competition," he told reporters recently.

Commenting on his performance in Aichi-Nagoya, Aliff said he had not expected to achieve a personal best after having only recently recovered from an injury ahead of the competition.

He said he did not consider himself a leading contender, adding that his throw of 14.45 metres (m) had given him the motivation to continue improving his performance.

Aliff said he was now targeting qualification for next year's World Championships in Uzbekistan as an important step in his preparations for LA28.

"I will try to improve my performance step by step and can only hope to qualify for the World Championships," he said.

On his target throwing distance, Aliff said he was initially aiming for between 15 and 16m, while a distance of at least 17m would be needed to be competitive in the medal hunt.

He also pledged to compete against fellow athlete Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli, who won silver in the event at Aichi-Nagoya, in a bid to sustain Malaysia's success in the discipline.

"God willing, I will do my best to compete with Ziyad and work towards restoring Malaysia's medal-winning momentum," he said.

-- BERNAMA