Kuala lumpur: Six years of waiting, including sending training equipment to his prot©g©'s home in a village, finally paid off for Perak powerlifting coach Freddy Yam when Muhammad Akmal Danish Mohamad Supi won gold in his third appearance at the Selangor Para SUKMA 2026.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, there was no gymnasium, no complete facilities, just a space in front of the house as a 'training centre' provided by his father, in addition to all the equipment brought by Freddy who began coaching Muhammad Akmal Danish six years ago. However, these limitations never stopped Freddy from developing the talent of Kampung Sungai Kuning native, during which he was willing to send training equipment to Muhammad Akmal Danish's home so that the athlete could continue training.

The action that took place at the Selangor International Trade Centre (SITC) saw all the waiting and sacrifices finally paid off when Muhammad Akmal Danish, 18, lifted a best of 137 kilogrammes (kg) to emerge champion in the men's 80kg event. The silver and bronze medals went to Sarawak athlete Mohd Firdaus Affandi with a lift of 130 kg and Mohamad Azam Asmawi from Johor with 125 kg.

It was Akmal Danish's first gold at the Para SUKMA after previously winning two silvers at the Kuala Lumpur 2022 and Sarawak 2024 editions. For Freddy, the journey with his students was not easy when they had to find a way to ensure Akmal Danish continued to train despite the limited facilities in the village.

"We have indeed waited a long time for the Para SUKMA. We and his parents have also gone through many obstacles and trials. When he trained in Selama, there was no gym because it was in the village. So I gave and sent the equipment to his house so he could train there," he said in a tearful tone.

Meanwhile, Muhammad Akmal Danish described it as not the 137-kilogramme iron that was the heaviest burden he had ever carried, but rather the responsibility as the eldest son who wanted to repay all the sacrifices his family had made. He said that apart from the efforts of his coach who had helped him since he was 12 years old, his parents were also the main factors in today's success when they were willing to send him from Kampung Sungai Kuning, Selama to Ipoh to undergo training, a journey that took more than two hours.

"My physical condition has been like this since I was little. My family, who are very helpful, are willing to send me from a village in the interior of Perak to Ipoh every month for training. That is what makes me strong now. I don't want my family to have to go through that again because the journey is long and tiring," he told Bernama after the competition.