With 2 gold and 1 bronze, Chong Cheng Tat completes sole Para Sukma outing for Sarawak on high note

KUCHING (September 27): Sarawak athlete Chong Cheng Tat ensured that his sole Para Malaysia Games (Para Sukma) appearance for the state ended on a high note today when he won the men’s discus F34 category.

The 45-year-old’s best throw of 19.02 metres was well ahead of the 15.36 metres achieved by Johor’s silver medallist Muhamad Nazir Aliman and bronze medallist Hazrin Che Hassan’s 15.21 metres for Kelantan.

This was both Chong’s Para Sukma debut and swansong as the is limited to athletes aged between 14 and 45 years.

He will now shift his focus to the 2025 Asean Para Games in Thailand.

“I’ll continue training to qualify, and if I do, I’ll definitely go,” he said, adding that his family’s support has been key to his success.

Cheng, who is the first athlete to win gold in both the Malaysia Games (Sukma) and Para Sukma, said he began training for the latter in June 2023.

“Training for me is just about working hard. Based on my previous experience, I picked it up easily, but if I were a newcomer, it would have been more difficult.

“For our category, we must sit in a chair that’s securely tied so it doesn’t move, and we cannot stand up. The rules are different compared to regular athletes.

“In events like Sukma, athletes can use other parts of their body to gain momentum. It’s definitely tougher in Para Sukma, but you must push yourself; otherwise, you won’t achieve anything,” he shared with reporters at the Sarawak State Stadium here today.

Chong also won a gold medal in the men’s shot put F34 on Monday and a bronze for javelin F34 on Tuesday.

During Sukma Penang in 2000, the Kuchingite clinched the gold medal for hammer throw.

A stroke in 2020 left him with hemiplegia, affecting the entire left side of his body.

Originally left-handed, he was forced to adapt to using his right hand.