Husband-Wife Set Unprecedented Record by Contributing Medals at Third Consecutive APG

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 20 (Bernama) – A husband and wife couple may have set an unprecedented record in local sports history by contributing medals at three consecutive ASEAN Para Games. Muhammad Hafiz Abu Bakar and his wife Siti Noor Lasah Mohamad Ariffin made it into the record books of local sports history after winning a gold and silver medal in the ongoing 9th ASEAN Para Games (APG) after having made similar contributions at the 2014 Myanmar edition and 2015 Singapore edition. Siti Noor Iasah, 27, retained the women’s 400m T20 gold with a winning time of 60.86s on the third day of track and field events at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, here today while Muhammad Hafiz claimed a silver medal in the men’s F36/37 shot put (Cerebral Palsy) with a throw of 10.50m, behind Indonesia’s Ahmad Fauzi who managed 10.57m while another Malaysian, Thomson Lim Kok Hong took the bronze with 9.95m. “I wish to thank my husband for his support and motivation ever since I started my career in athletics. I also want to dedicate this gold medal to my daughter Nur Iman Qaisarah, 5, because I have spent a lot of time away from her when training. Siti Noor who holds the Para Asian Games 400M T20 record with a time of 58.55s which she had set during the Rio Paralympics last year said though she was disappointed for not setting a new record, she was satisfied with her effort to defend the gold medal that she had won in Singapore two years ago. "This is the second gold medal for me after having won the 800m T20 gold on Monday,” said the Johor lass who has won the 400m T20 gold since the 2008 APG in Nakhon Ratchasima, Thailand. Muhammad Hafiz, the defending champion in the event however, felt it would have been a great occasion if he had won the gold medal and celebrate the success with his wife. “Competition was very stiff but I am satisfied with the silver,” said Muhammad Hafiz who later took part in the men’s javelin F36/37 but decided to pull out after the first throw when he failed to collect any points. (photoBERNAMA) --BERNAMA