KUALA LUMPUR: Paralympian Mohamad Ridzuan Mohamad Puzi has picked up another accolade, this time clinching the 2018 Best Asian Male Athlete award.
The award is given out by the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC) in recognition of the athletes’ excellent performances in the Asian region.
Mohamad Ridzuan received the award from APC president Majid Rashed and United Arab Emirates (UAE) Paralympic Council president Mohamed Alhameli at a ceremony in Dubai on Wednesday.
“Dik Wan is extremely happy to receive this award. I also want to thank the APC for giving me this recognition,” he said in a post on his Instagram page.
Mohamad Ridzuan, who prefers to be called Dik Wan, also thanked his parents for continuously supporting him as well as his coach R. Jeganathan, the National Sports Council (NSC) and the Malaysian Paralympic Council (MPC).
Mohamad Ridzuan set a new world and Asian record of 11.87 seconds en route to winning the men’s 100m T36 (cerebral palsy) category at the Asian Para Games in Jakarta last October.
The Perlis-born para athlete also bagged two more gold medals at the meet when he emerged triumphant in the long jump and 400m events.
He is also Malaysia’s first gold medallist in Paralympics, winning the 100m in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 2016. – Bernama
