PARIS — The aspirations of the country’s top athlete Ziyad Zolkefli to clinch the men’s F20 shot put gold (intellectual disability) was dashed when he bagged a silver medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games today.
Ziyad started the competition at the Stade de France with a throw of 16.75m which was followed by a second attempt of 16.66m.
Ziyad secured his best attempt with a throw of 17.18m which was good for a silver, and ended the competition with a throw of 16.86m.
Ukraine’s Oleksandr Yarovyi pulled off a surprise when he not only won gold but broke the world record twice, clearing a distance of 17.60m on his third attempt to erase the world record of 17.57m by his teammate and defending champion Maksym Koval set during the 2023 World Para Athletics Championships in Paris.
Minutes later, the 25-year-old athlete surpassed his own world record, that only lasted a few minutes, with a throw of 17.61m on the fourth attempt and snatched the gold.
Koval was red-flagged four times and had to settle for a bronze through his best attempt in the second throw with a distance of 16.99m.
