Kuala lumpur: National weightlifting star Muhamad Aznil Bidin described his third consecutive Commonwealth Games gold medal as the proudest moment of his career after making history at the Glasgow 2026 edition. Muhamad Aznil said winning a hat-trick of gold medals had long been his dream, with his triumph in the men's 65kg event at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) Armadillo here on Sunday making him the first Malaysian weightlifter to win gold at three consecutive Commonwealth Games.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the 32-year-old captured the 62kg title at Gold Coast 2018 before claiming gold in the 61kg category at Birmingham 2022, surpassing the achievement of former national weightlifting great Amirul Hamizan Ibrahim, who won gold at Manchester 2002 and Delhi 2010. "I feel extremely proud to have achieved the hat-trick I had always dreamed of. Alhamdulillah, that dream has finally come true. Insya-Allah, my next focus will be preparing for the Asian Games and qualifying for the Olympic Games (Los Angeles 2028)," he told Bernama.
In the men's 65kg competition, Muhamad Aznil also set three new Games records with lifts of 133kg in the snatch, 166kg in the clean and jerk, and a total lift of 299kg. He not only set three Games records but also improved each of those records twice during the competition. India's Raja Muthupandi won the silver medal with a total lift of 286kg, while Morea Baru of Papua New Guinea took bronze with 282kg.
Commenting on his weight selection strategy, Muhamad Aznil admitted opting for a more conservative approach to secure the gold medal before attempting heavier lifts. "For the Games records, I think we chose safer weights. Since the gap with my rivals was already quite large, our main priority was to ensure the clean and jerk attempt was successful and that the gold medal was secured first," he said.
Muhamad Aznil's personal best remains a total lift of 306kg - comprising 133kg in the snatch and 173kg in the clean and jerk - achieved at last year's SEA Games in Thailand. Asked what was going through his mind while standing on the competition platform, Muhamad Aznil said his sole focus was to deliver his best performance and win the gold medal.
His victory came just hours after teammate Mohamad Aniq Kasdan delivered Malaysia's first gold medal in the men's 60kg category, making weightlifting the country's biggest medal contributor on the third day of the Games. Earlier, rising talent Irene Jane Henry also contributed a bronze medal in the women's 48kg category on her Commonwealth Games debut.
Malaysia have so far collected two gold medals and two bronze medals, with the other bronze coming from national para powerlifting star Bonnie Bunyau Gustin in the men's lightweight category.