KUCHING: Sarawak’s Jonah Chang Rigan made headlines when he shattered the national shot put record with a fine throw of 18.46m, achieved at the Pahang Open last Sunday (May 19).
The previous record of 17.67m, also set by Jonah, was achieved at the Mokpo International Championships in South Korea last year. Jonah had already surpassed the old record with an earlier throw of 18.09m, but his last attempt was even better.
At 21 years of age, Jonah, who has competed in prestigious events like the Youth Olympics, will be aiming for a maximum of three events at the upcoming Malaysia Games (SUKMA) on home turf in August.
The Miri-born Berawan athlete is currently based in Kuala Lumpur at Bukit Jalil, where he trains under the national throw coach, who was formerly his coach in Sarawak.
Jonah is likely to win two gold medals in SUKMA in the shot put and discus events as he is ranked number one in both events nationally. He also has a strong chance of landing a third gold in the hammer throw.
Sarawak are predicting a five-gold haul in athletics if Jonah secures his third gold in the hammer throw. Another favourite for gold is women’s javelin thrower Ng Jing Shyean, who recently won gold at the Philippines Open with a throw of 45.47m, surpassing the SUKMA record in the event.
At the Philippines Open, Jonah and Jing Shyean both won silver in the open categories for men and women, while other medals were mostly won in the under-20 category.
Sarawak will likely bank on Alena Thipong Lafa in the hammer throw and Zrul bin Badrrudin in the pole vault.
Other potential athletes for SUKMA include Alvine Yap in the 110m hurdles, who is a strong medal contender, and women’s long jumper Marissa Ferrer Neil Armstrong, who claimed gold at the Philippines Open with a 5.32m jump.
Sarawak athletes have been competing in the Selangor Open, Perak Open and Kuala Lumpur Open as exposure trips in preparation for SUKMA.
They will have their long list shortened to the final list when they participate in the Sarawak Open in July, which will serve as the last qualifying meet for the SUKMA athletes.
