Kota Kinabalu: Sabah’s Jonathan Wong Kar Gee will try his best to win a historic gold medal at the Paris Paralympics scheduled to start from August 28-September 8.
The 33-year-old who is making his second appearance at the meet will be taking part in the men’s T-12 long jump event starting on September 1.
He told reporters on Sunday at the Kota Kinabalu International Airport before his departure to Kuala Lumpur that he is also hoping to better his personal best record of 7.22 metres (m).
“I would of course like to return with the gold medal from Paris and also to do better than the 7.22m I achieved back in 2019.
“My preparation has been going smoothly so far. I have been training five times a week under my coach Sidek Sahak at KK High School as Likas Stadium is under renovation at the moment.
“The sessions are not so intense to ensure that my muscles will not get too tight to avoid injury. Hopefully I will have enough rest in Paris to perform my very best,” he said.
He also expressed his gratitude to his family and Sabah Sports Council (MSN) for their support.
“My family has been very supportive to my needs, while MSN are always on hand to give me sound advice and provide the necessary measures for my training,” he said.
Meanwhile, two more Sabahans are also in the 29-member Malaysian contingent bound for the Paralympics.
They are Eddie Edward who will run in the T-44 100m sprint and Muhd Amin Burhanuddin in the badminton event under the SL4 category.
Sabah Sports Council deputy director Alissa Apha who was present at the airport said all the Sabah athletes are preparing well and ready for the competition.
“Their programmes are prepared by the National Sports Council and assisted by us (Sabah Sports Council).
“All three of our athletes are certainly on the right track in their preparation for the Paris meet and we are hoping they will give their best during the competition,” she said.
