Reaching the Paralympic podium is a moment of immense pride for athletes. Malaysian Shot Putter, Muhammad Ziyad produced a stunning performance, winning the gold. Ziyad even broke the world record in his performance, twice.
But, unfortunately, the authorities stripped off his medal for an unusual reason. His performance has hence been classified as ‘DNS’ (Did Not Start).
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Muhammad Ziyad loses medal as he arrived late for the match
Controversies have always been an integral part of sports. After Tokyo Olympics, the same has continued for the Paralympics.
Malaysian athlete Muhammad Ziyad competes in the shot put f20 class event. On the day of the match, Muhammad surprisingly reached three minutes late to his match in Tokyo.
Interestingly, he was not only one late, two other athletes also arrived late, but they did not win. Even after coming late, the athletes were given the benefit of doubt and allowed to competed in the match.
Like every other Paralympian’s desire, Muhammad Ziyad delivered his best performance and won. But, the authorities disqualified his performance for showing up late.
No justifiable reason for the delay at Tokyo Paralympics 2020 event
The International Paralympic Committee spokesperson said that they were allowed to compete, considering they might have a logical reason. Since athletes were late, they did not inquire at the moment.
The schedules and programs of Paralympics are pre fixed and there is no space for any delays. However, after the match, when the referee tried to determine the reason, they gave no logical reason for the delay.
This is a huge setback for the Malaysian, as even after performing the best, he will go home without the medal. After this huge setback, they awarded the gold medal to next in line Ukraine’s Maksym Koval. While silver went to another Ukrainian athlete, Oleksandr Yarovyi.
And the fourth position holder, Greece’s Efstratios Nikolaidis, received the bronze medal. According to the Malaysian, they did not hear the announcement and hence couldn’t reach on time. The rules, however, are rigid and the disqualification is final, Malaysian Shot Putter Muhammad Ziyad will go home with a heartbreak.
Also read: US Equestrian?s Roxanne Trunnell Makes Paralympic History in Tokyo
