GLASGOW, July 27 — Malaysia enjoyed a memorable day on the weightlifting platform at the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games yesterday as Mohamad Aniq Kasdan and Muhamad Aznil Bidin clinched gold medals, while Irene Jane Henry added a bronze to cap an impressive outing for the national contingent.
The victories at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) Armadillo gave Malaysia its first two gold medals of the Games, with para powerlifting ace Bonnie Bunyau Gustin having earlier contributed the country's opening medal, a bronze in the men's lightweight event on Friday.
Mohamad Aniq delivered Malaysia's first gold after winning the men's 60 kilogramme (kg) category with a total lift of 273 kg, comprising 121 kg in the snatch and 152 kg in the clean and jerk.
His clean and jerk and total lifts both set new Commonwealth Games records.
The defending Commonwealth Games champion finished ahead of India's Rishikanta Singh Chanambam, who managed 264 kg, while Kenya's Joshua Amunga Mboya took bronze with 260 kg.
Mohamad Aniq, who won the men's 55 kg title at Birmingham 2022 with a Games record total of 249 kg, later revealed he had overcome severe muscle cramps in both legs before stepping onto the competition platform.
The 24-year-old said the cramps struck during the warm-up session, raising fears that his title challenge could end before it began.
"The most challenging moment was during the warm-up session. When there were only two lifts left, both my legs started cramping. At that moment, I thought, 'Oh my, this is bad. I hope it doesn't end my run,' because my target was to win gold.
"Thanks to God, everything went smoothly. It was a struggle earlier, and during my first attempt I was worried that the cramps would return, but when I did not feel them after the first lift, I immediately gained confidence that I could bring home the gold medal for Malaysia," he told Bernama.
Malaysia's celebrations continued when Muhamad Aznil captured the men's 65 kg title to secure his third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal.
Competing in the same venue, the 32-year-old amassed a total lift of 299 kg, comprising 133 kg in the snatch and 166 kg in the clean and jerk, while setting three new Games records.
Muhamad Aznil successfully lifted 130 kg and 133 kg in the snatch before failing at 135 kg. In the clean and jerk, he cleared 162 kg and 166 kg on his first two attempts but was unable to lift 170 kg in his final attempt.
He comfortably defeated India's Raja Muthupandi, who claimed silver with 286 kg, while Papua New Guinea's Morea Baru secured bronze with 282 kg.
The victory made Muhamad Aznil the first Malaysian weightlifter to win three consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medals, surpassing the achievement of former national lifter Amirul Hamizan Ibrahim, who won two Commonwealth titles in 2002 and 2010.
One kilogramme short
Meanwhile, Irene marked her Commonwealth Games debut with a bronze medal in the women's 48 kg category after recording a combined lift of 167 kg, just 1 kg behind Nigeria's Ruth Asuquo Nyong, who secured silver with 168 kg.
India's Mirabai Chanu won the gold medal with a total lift of 190 kg.
Despite narrowly missing silver, Irene said she was grateful to achieve her target of finishing on the podium.
"Losing by one kg really hurts, but I've done my best. I can't ask for an extra lift as there are only three tries, so I can only accept the result.
"Backstage, I was really nervous and scared. But I wanted to fight and at least secure a medal," she said.
She dedicated her bronze medal to her family and supporters.
"Even though it's not a silver medal, I'm grateful to get a bronze for Malaysia. To my family and fans in Malaysia, especially in Sabah, thank you for your support and prayers," she said.
Irene successfully completed all three snatch attempts of 72 kg, 75 kg and 77 kg. She initially failed her opening clean and jerk lift of 90 kg, but successfully completed it on her second attempt after her challenge against the judges' decision was rejected.
However, she was unable to lift 93 kg in her final attempt, which would have given her a combined total of 170 kg and the silver medal.
"I think maybe it just wasn't my day as I have lifted 93 kg many times before. Maybe the condition of my body today wasn't that great," she said, admitting it was difficult to accept after repeatedly achieving the weight during training.
Malaysia's weightlifting contingent ended the day with two gold and two bronze medals, providing a significant boost to the national medal tally in Glasgow.
