The 27-year-old Kuala Rompin lifter qualified after finishing fourth overall in the men’s below 56kg category of the Asian Olympic qualifying championships in Kanazawa, Japan, last month.
Off to Beijing: Amirul Hamizan Ibrahim has qualified to compete in the below 56kg category in the Olympics. Malaysian Weightlifting Federation (MWF) secretary Lt. Cdr Mohd Suhaimi Kassim said that the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) had received a letter from the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) informing them that Amirul had qualified under category A after being ranked 12th in the world based on his achievement in Japan.
(The top 15 qualify under category A.)
Amirul bagged the silver in the snatch event in Japan and broke his own national record with a lift of 121kg – a 4kg improvement on his previous record set in Malacca in 2002.
In the clean and jerk, he finished fourth with a lift of 141kg. He also finished overall fourth with a total lift of 262kg.
Amirul, who bagged three gold medals at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, said he had always dreamt of competing in the Olympics.
“I was delighted to receive the good news from the MWF.
“Winning the silver in the Asian Olympic qualifying meet was the best achievement for me in Asia,” said Amirul, who thanked his coaches Lin Xin Hui and Zakaria Yusof for their help.
Amirul, who spent two months training in Hainan, China, last year, hopes to go for another overseas training stint to prepare for the Olympics.
The Star
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