TOKYO – This morning, national para shot-put athlete Muhammad Ziyad bin Zolkefli apologised to Malaysians over his disqualification and thanked those who had supported him.
Yesterday (Aug 31), Malaysians cheered and thanked Ziyad for bringing home another gold medal in the Paralympics T20 shot-put event, where he broke the world record with a 17.94m toss.
Plot twist
However, it later turned out that Ziyad was competing under protest as he was late to the roll call and had his results reverted to Did Not Start (DNS).
This led officials to award the gold medal to Ukraine’s Koval Maksym, who was the first runner-up.
The Malaysia contingent later filed an appeal to the International Paralympics Committee (IPC) but it was rejected.
Related : Malaysia Loses Appeal Over Ziyad’s Disqualification At The Paralympics Shot Put Final
TV3 sports journalist Hasnida Hanim Ahmad Kamil later announced IPC’s decision on her Twitter account, which was subsequently verified by Ziyad.
RASMI:Keputusan rayuan atlet lontar peluru negara para Ziyad Zolkefli ditolak. Ziyad anda tetap juara dihati kami rakyat Malaysia terima kasih Ziyad terima kasih.@BuletinTV3 pic.twitter.com/zDLUhV7XtK
— Hasnida Hanim Ahmad Kamil TV3 (@hanimNewsMPB) September 1, 2021
The good and ugly side of Malaysians
Despite the heartbreaking truth, many fans continued to pour in words of encouragement for Ziyad.
On the other side of the spectrum, several Malaysians hurled harsh comments and insults towards the Ukrainian team, accusing them of “poor sportsmanship” and calling them “a disgrace”.
Even the new Health Minister, Khairy Jamaluddin joined in the fray, saying that the gold medal was “stolen” from Ziyad.
False allegations?
Amid mounting accusations mounted against Ukraine, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) later clarified its decision to disqualify Ziyad in a statement released today.
According to the rules, athletes are still allowed to compete while referees investigate the appeal and deliver their verdict, which was what happened in Ziyad’s case.
While it’s a painful loss, we know that Ziyad did his best and he will always be the hero in our hearts!
Cover Images via The Star & Ohmymedia
Author: Raymond Chen
Proofreader: Anna Wong
