Aniq wary of new threats following weight class revision
Aniq previously competed in the under-61kg category and did well to finish fourth at the Paris Olympics last year.
The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has, however, conducted a revision of weight classes in the sport which will come into effect on June 1.
Aniq's under-61kg class has been replaced with an under-60kg category while the under-55kg class has been removed completely.
"I am sure there will be new contenders in this under-60kg class because it is now the smallest weight class available," said Aniq recently.
"Those who previously competed in the under-55kg class will definitely move up to under-60kg.
"I can roughly guess which nations will be dangerous in this new under-60kg division. China will obviously be strong and so will North Korea, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and the Philippines.
"We will have to wait until the World Championships in Norway (Oct 2-11) to get a clearer picture. By then we can start to crunch the numbers and get a clearer picture of what we need to finish in the top-four (in global competitions).
"It is tricky because it appears like they (IWF) are making changes to the weight classes every two Olympic cycles, so we have to be ready to adjust."
Aniq had previously competed in the under-55kg class and won silver (clean and jerk) at the 2021 World Championships and gold at the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games in the division.
He stepped up to the under-61kg class in 2023 and won bronze (clean and jerk) at the World Championships that year and two silvers (clean and jerk, overall) at the world meet last year.
The Commonwealth Weightlifting Championships in India (Aug 24-30) will be Aniq's first competition in the under-60kg class.
The meet will also serve as a qualifying event for the 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
an hour ago
- The Star
Azizul returns to training mode as he eyes racing comeback
Slow and steady: Azizul is healthy and fit, though not fit enough for track races as of yet, says coach John Beasley. PETALING JAYA: The fire still burns as Malaysia's top cyclist Azizulhasni Awang has returned to where he belongs. After almost a year away from the track, the two-time Olympic medallist has made a stirring return to training at the National Velodrome in Nilai this week, slipping on his racing gloves once more with quiet determination. Cancel anytime. Ad-free. Full access to Web and App. RM 13.90/month RM 9.73 /month Billed as RM 9.73 for the 1st month, RM 13.90 thereafter. RM 12.39/month RM 8.63 /month Billed as RM 103.60 for the 1st year, RM 148 thereafter.
The Star
4 hours ago
- The Star
Soccer-Sweden enter the unknown after shootout loss to England
Soccer Football - UEFA Women's Euro 2025 - Quarter Final - Sweden v England - Stadion Letzigrund, Zurich, Switzerland - July 17, 2025 Sweden's Filippa Angeldahl and Sweden's Nathalie Bjorn in action with England's Michelle Agyemang REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo ZURICH (Reuters) -Sweden's agonising defeat by England on penalties in coach Peter Gerhardsson's final game in charge had them exit Euro 2025 on Thursday and plunged the team into a period of uncertainty as many others in the set-up also consider their futures. Gerhardsson announced earlier in the year that he would be stepping down after the Euros and former Australia head coach Tony Gustavsson has already been announced as his successor, but how the squad and backroom team looks when he takes the reins in the coming weeks remains to be seen. "There are a lot of us on the team who will be leaving after this, so there are a lot of emotions involved. But when you make a decision... even if you don't know how far you'll go in a tournament, there's only this game right now," Gerhardsson told reporters. The game in question was a thriller, a 2-2 draw capped off by a hair-raising penalty shootout that had saves, spot-kicks sent high, and a goalkeeper in Sweden's Jennifer Falk who saved four of seven penalties, but still ended up on the losing side after 18-year-old Smilla Holmberg missed for Sweden. Sweden cruised through the group stage, winning all three games and took a 2-0 halftime lead into the break, but England coach Sarina Wiegman's late substitutions resulted in two quick goals, extra time and a painful repeat of Sweden's 3-2 loss to Canada in the 2021 Olympic final. Falk's overall performance would suggest that she will continue to be the first-choice goalkeeper, but captain Kosovare Asllani and winger Sofia Jakobssonare both 35, and defender Linda Sembrandt is 38, suggesting that they may have played their last championship for Sweden. Asked what it was like to see the likes of Sembrandt after the final whistle, striker Stina Blackstenius said she found it tough. "Everything feels very emotional today in every way, it's hard to put into words what you really feel, but yes, it is difficult," she told reporters before summing up Gerhardsson's eight years at the helm. "Part of the whole thing that this championship was really something that we saw coming, to have a nice end to the time with Peter ... I think we've built up such an incredibly good feeling during this championship. And it's clear that we would have liked to have had a better ending than this," she said. "It's just sad that it couldn't be like that. Peter has been in charge for many years and we've performed well in championships, without it really getting to where we wanted." (Reporting by Philip O'ConnorEditing by Christian Radnedge)
Free Malaysia Today
4 hours ago
- Free Malaysia Today
Russia's luge federation to appeal 2026 Winter Games ban
The International Olympic Committee said in May that Russian teams remained banned from next year's Games. (EPA Images pic) TAMPERE : The Russian Luge Federation (FSSR) said it will take legal action over a decision by the sport's global governing body to bar the country's athletes from the qualifying process for the 2026 Milano-Cortina Winter Olympics. The International Luge Federation voted at its congress in Tampere, Finland last month to extend an existing exclusion for Russian athletes from its competitions. It also voted to not authorise a programme for neutral Russian athletes. The FSSR said in a statement on Monday it had notified the governing body of its intention to challenge the decision in international courts. The FSSR told Russian news agency TASS it would appeal to the court of arbitration for sport. 'We will defend the rights of our athletes to participate in the Olympic Games 2026,' FSSR president Natalia Gart said. The FIL did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. The International Olympic Committee said in May that Russian teams remained banned from next year's Games as part of sanctions following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Four Russian figure skaters in men's and women's singles have been approved by the International Skating Union to try to qualify for the 2026 Olympics as neutral athletes.
