Kota Kinabalu: National and State para athlete, Jonathan Wong Kar Gee, who clinched a gold medal in the long jump at the Dubai 2024 World Para Athletics Grand Prix on Thursday, has boosted his world ranking from being in the top 10 last year to top seven.
Following such commendable feat, he said he has higher chance to compete in the next World Paralympic Championship.
Jonathan, who represented Malaysia, recorded a leap of 6.80 metres in the T12 men’s which landed him the gold medal and defeated Chen Shichang (6.39m) from China who won silver and Russia’s Maksim Shavrikov (6.08m) who secured the bronze, on Feb 16.
He said he has achieved his seasonal best and aspired to accomplish his personal best of 7.72-metre.
“I will my best in order to achieve that in the next competition of Kobe 2024 Para Athletics World Championship in Japan on May 17, this year.
“This world tournament will be a big game and hopefully I will be on my peak performance,” he said.
Jonathan said this to reporters after he arrived at the Kota Kinabalu International airport (KKIA) from Kuala Lumpur on Saturday.
He was welcomed by his mother, Datuk Susan Wong Siew Guen who is the reputable township developer in Sabah, his wife Wenessa Fong, Sabah Sport Council Deputy Director 2 (Para Sector) Alissa Alha and Federal Youth and Sports Department assistant director Fedrius Jumi.
Jonathan said the World Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai is not the last qualification competition for the Paralympics because there is still the upcoming World Para Athletics Grand Prix to be held in Paris this July.
On any setbacks while competing, he said he felt fortunate that the weather during the last day of his competition was not hot compared to his nine-day stay in Dubai that was quite hot and rainy.
Overall, he said competing in the Dubai Grand Prix was a good experience for him as it is the first competition of 2024.
Jonathan won a gold medal at the Asean Para Games in Kuala Lumpur in 2017 and silver medals at the Asian Para Games in Jakarta in 2018 and the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships in 2019 in Dubai.
Meanwhile, Susan told reporters that his eldest son’s feat in bringing back a gold medal in the prestige para athletic global competition to Sabah is the best present in the Year of the Dragon during this Chinese New Year (CNY) celebration.
“When my son told me that he will be gone during the CNY celebration, I was a bit sad but I understood his determination to go and compete in the world para athletic competition in Dubai.
So, I wished him all the best in the competition.
“I gave him full support and told him not to worry and just concentrate in his training and enjoy and do his best because we don’t want to pressure him.
“But when he told me that he won gold in the long jump event on Thursday, it was really a dream come true and we were so excited,” she said.
