Ziyad Zolkefli Creates History After Being The First Paralympian To Win A Medal At The KL SEA Games

Tuesday was another historical day for Malaysia as not only did we win a handful of gold medals, but our Paralympic athlete Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli did something out of the ordinary.

In this installment of the bi-yearly Southeast Asian Games, Ziyad decided to enter the SEA Games and compete against able-bodied athletes to challenge himself. Apart from Ziyad, Paralympian Abdul Latif Romly will also be competing in the long jump category.

The Paralympic gold medalist and world-record holder participated in the men’s shot put event and managed to bag a bronze medal. His extraordinary feat made him the first Paralympic athlete to compete in the SEA Games and win a medal.

#TeamMAS #olahraga Pingat GANGSA oleh atlet lontar peluru Ziyad Zolkefli selepas melakukan lontaran 17.12m #kl2017 pic.twitter.com/QjJJGzlwY2
— #TeamMAS (@myTeamMAS) August 22, 2017

The gold and silver medal were snagged by Thailand’s defending champ, Promrob Juntima (17.42m) and his teammate, Thawat Khacin (17.15m). Ziyad threw a distance of 17.12m, just 0.03m behind Khacin. So, close!

Who knows, perhaps Ziyad will redeem himself and take home the gold in the next SEA Games.

In an interview with Era.fm on Wednesday, Ziyad told them that he couldn’t believe that he won a medal in the SEA Games.

He’s very pleased with his performance and thanked Malaysians who came out to support him and other Malaysian athletes during the games.

Well, congratulations Ziyad! We foresee greater things ahead for you. Malaysia boleh!