Syahmi Sets National Record in New 95kg Class as Malaysian Divers Miss 1m Podium

Malaysia added no medals from weightlifting or diving on Monday (28 September) at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, but Mohamad Syahmi Nor Ghazali still made history in his new weight class.

Syahmi's 353kg

Syahmi, who won Commonwealth Games gold in Glasgow in July, lifted 153kg in the snatch and 200kg in the clean and jerk for a total of 353kg. That won the men's under-95kg Group B final at the Nagoya Trade and Industry Centre, Utusan Malaysia reported.

It is also a new national record. The under-95kg class only came into force on 1 August under the new weight categories, so this is the first national mark in the division.

Oman's Murshid Al Ajmi was second in the group with 315kg, and Hong Kong's Matthew Tung third with 291kg. Asian Games weightlifting medals are decided across both groups, and the stronger lifters usually compete in Group A. So Syahmi's group win is not a medal on its own.

In Glasgow, Syahmi competed at under-94kg and set a Games record total of 347kg (150kg, 197kg) on his way to gold. Two months later, in a heavier category, he added 6kg to that total.

Erry lifts through injury

Erry Hidayat also moved up a class after winning Commonwealth gold at under-79kg in July. In the under-85kg Group B final he lifted 140kg in the snatch and 172kg in the clean and jerk for 312kg, which put him second in the group. Utusan said he is still dealing with a back injury.

Divers finish sixth in both 1m finals

The divers had won three medals since 26 September, but got nothing from Monday's two 1m springboard finals at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre.

• Women's 1m: Ong Ker Ying finished sixth with 208.85 points. China's Lin Shan won gold with 263.05, ahead of teammate Long Yiping (254.25) and South Korea's Kim Suji (245.05).
• Men's 1m: Muhammad Syafiq Puteh was sixth with 323.25 points. China's Wang Zongyuan won with 442.75, Kim Yeongnam of South Korea took silver (373.30) and China's Liu Chengzan bronze (361.45). Malaysia's Yong Rui Jie was 14th with 197.75.

Diving's three medals so far are:

• Silver for Enrique Harold and Elvis Priestly Clement in the men's 10m platform synchro
• Bronze for Yong Rui Jie and Mohamad Nurqayyum in the men's 3m springboard synchro
• Bronze for Ong Ker Ying and Lee Yiat Qing in the women's 3m springboard synchro

The platform synchro silver ended a 16-year wait for an Asian Games diving silver.

The bigger picture

Neither sport was expected to win gold, but Monday was still useful. Syahmi showed he can compete at the higher weight. The 1m results showed how far China's divers are ahead of everyone else in Asia.

Key takeaways

• Mohamad Syahmi Nor Ghazali totalled 353kg (153kg + 200kg) to win the men's -95kg Group B final and set a national record.
• Erry Hidayat was second in the -85kg Group B final with 312kg despite a back injury.
• Ong Ker Ying and Muhammad Syafiq Puteh both finished sixth in the 1m springboard finals.
• Malaysian diving has three medals: one silver and two bronzes.

FAQ

Q: Is the under-95kg a new weight class? A: Yes. Utusan reported that it came into force on 1 August, so Syahmi's 353kg is the first national record in the class.

Q: Does winning Group B mean a medal? A: Not necessarily. Weightlifting medals are decided on the combined results of both groups.

Q: How many diving medals has Malaysia won in Aichi-Nagoya? A: Three: one silver and two bronzes, all in synchronised events.

Sources: Utusan Malaysia, New Straits Times, The Star