KUALA LUMPUR – Since coming agonisingly close to a podium finish in his Olympic debut in Paris two months ago, weightlifter Aniq Kasdan has risen to star status among local sports fans.
However, not many know of the 22-year-old’s humble beginnings, working on an oil palm estate, or how he nearly gave up three years ago when the world went into lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Aniq, who holds the national record of 298kg – a feat he achieved in Fiji last month en route to winning the men’s 61kg gold at the Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships – recently appeared as a guest on Sport Check, a podcast by PODaBOOM and Scoop.
Reflecting on his journey to the top, the Johor-born athlete, who missed out on an Olympic bronze medal by just 1kg, shared that things could have turned out very differently if he had quit during the Movement Control Order (MCO).
“During the pandemic, the state Sukma training centre in Johor was forced to close. We had to return home and train on our own.
“I lost hope then and nearly gave up because there were no competitions on the horizon.
“I even worked on an oil palm estate, lifting pesticide barrels and cutting weeds. That’s when I realised how tough manual labour was compared to lifting weights in training.
“My plans to quit didn’t materialise after my coach convinced me otherwise. I competed in the National Championships after the MCO and soon earned my national call-up.
“From there, I made it to the Olympics,” said Aniq, who is considered a strong medal contender for LA 2028 if he continues breaking records.
To hear more about his achievements and aspirations, listen to the podcast on all streaming platforms, including YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts. — October 13, 2024