Muhammad Irfan checks into discus final

From Elmi Rizal Elias

BIRMINGHAM, Aug 2 (Bernama) -- National discus thrower Muhammad Irfan Shamsuddin performed commendably to confirm his place in the final at the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games here today.

Competing in Group A of the qualifying round at the Alexander Stadium here, the 26-year-old hurled the discus to a distance of 57.93 metres (m) to be placed fourth out of eight participants.

Jamaica’s Traves Smikle topped Group A with 64.90m, followed by Samoa’s Alex Rose (63.20m) and Scotland’s Nicholas Percy (60.68m). 

The qualifying round involved two groups, with only the 12 best athletes advancing to the final on Thursday (Aug 4).

Muhammad Irfan holds the national record of 62.55m, which he set in Austria in 2017, and he also won silver at the 2017 Asian Championships.

National athletics team manager M. Iyaru described Muhammad Irfan’s achievement in progressing to the final as “encouraging”.

“Not easy to compete against so many world-class athletes here. I hope Irfan’s achievement in making the final today will boost his morale and confidence for Thursday (Aug 4),” he said.

-- BERNAMA