Latest news with #BonnieBunyauGustin
New Straits Times
14-05-2025
- Sport
- New Straits Times
Bonnie eyes historic hat-trick but wary of rising threats
KUALA LUMPUR: All-conquering para powerlifter Bonnie Bunyau Gustin has set his sights on winning a third consecutive gold medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Paralympics. Bonnie, who competes in the under-72kg class, has swept all before him at the global level since 2019, winning two gold at the Paralympics (Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024), three world titles (Nur-Sultan 2019, Tbilisi 2021, Dubai 2023) and is also the current world record holder. The 26-year-old is, however, aware that with new talent emerging from rival nations, he will have to continue raising his game if he is to achieve a hat-trick of Paralympic gold medals. "I have thought about winning it (Paralympic gold) for a third time in a row but it will depend on the conditions at the time," said Bonnie yesterday (May 14). "At the moment my rivals are not that close to me just yet but they are starting to perform (better and better) so I have to be careful. "I will have to make sure I am really in good form if I want to win gold for a third time. "At the moment, my goal is to keep improving myself and work on bettering my personal best (world record). No Malaysian athlete has been able to win three Paralympic gold medals in a row before. Long jumper (T20) Latif Romly came close after winning back-to-back gold at Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 but was forced to settle for silver in Paris. Bonnie said he has fully recovered from the injury that bothered him at the Paris Paralympics last year. "I had a muscle tear in my left chest (pectoral) and it was swollen (during Paris games). I have undergone rehabilitation and it is now fully recovered," said Bonnie. "I am back to training again now and am at about 70 to 80 percent (performance levels) at the moment. "This year, I have the World Cup in Beijing (June) as well as the World Championships in Egypt (Oct) so I have to prepare as best as possible." Bonnie was named Paralympic Sportsman of the Year (2024) for a third time at the National Sports Awards yesterday. He previously won the award in 2023 and 2021. To make it even sweeter, Bonnie's long-time coach Jamil Adam was also named Men's Coach of the Year (2024).
Barnama
13-05-2025
- Sport
- Barnama
ASN 2024: Aaron-Wooi Yik Crowned National Sportsman, Nor Farah Creates History
SPORTS Bonnie Bunyau Gustin (second, left) and Hasmunirah Maliki (second, right) PETALING JAYA, May 13 (Bernama) -- National badminton men's doubles Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik won the Sportsman of the Year award at the 2024 National Sports Awards (ASN) ceremony here, today. The title, the second time won by the 2022 world champions, saw them fend off challenges from professional men's singles player Lee Zii Jia, national weightlifter Mohamad Aniq Kasdan, wushu athlete Wong Weng Soon and pencak silat exponent Abdul Latif Maxzakir. Last year, the world number five pair defended their Olympic bronze medal for the second consecutive time by defeating Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen of Denmark, 16-21, 22-20, 21-19, at the Paris Olympics. National lawn bowl champion Nor Farah Ain Abdullah was named the National Sportswoman, beating Sin Li Jane (tenpin bowling), Tan Cheong Min (wushu), Nurul Izzah Izzati Mohd Asri (cycling) and Nor Farah Mazlan (pencak silat). The world number one lawn bowler made history by becoming the first female lawn bowling athlete of the country to win the National Sportswoman title. Nor Farah stole the limelight by winning a gold medal in the women's individual event at the 2024 World Indoor Bowls Championships in Guernsey, Channel Islands, in April last year. His Majesty, Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia presented the National Sportsman and Sportswoman awards respectively to Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik represented by Badminton Association of Malaysia secretary-general, Datuk Kenny Goh and Nor Farah. Aaron-Wooi Yik were not present at the 2024 ASN as they are participating in the 2025 Thailand Open which began today until Sunday. The achievement of defending the gold medal in the men's 72 kilogramme category at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris qualified national powerlifting champion Bonnie Bunyau Gustin to win the National Paralympic Athlete for the third time after 2021 and 2023, defeating three para-athletics contenders, namely Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli, Datuk Abdul Latif Romly,and Eddy Bernard (para-athletes) as well as Cheah Liek Hou (para-badminton).
