Sarawak now has two Paralympic winners! Congratulations to Bonnie Bunyau Gustin and Jong Yee Khie for making Malaysia so proud!
Breaking the Paralympics record previously set by Iraq’s Rasool Mohsin by just 1kg, Malaysian Bonnie Bunyau Gustin has won the country’s first gold medal in Tokyo on August 28, 2021. The Sarawakian athlete was the last among 10 participants to go in his round of the of the 72 kg final, and provided a stunning performance during his 228 kg lift.
A Sarawak native from Serian, Bonnie takes after his well-known father, Gustin Jelang, who is a formidable para powerlifter in his own right that has led him to compete at the 2010 World Championships in Kuala Lumpur. Bonnie dedicated his gold medal win to his father Gustin, who is also his coach, and who himself wanted to represent Malaysia at the Paralympics.
Sparking his athletic passion at 15, Bonnie made his international debut in 2017, and went on to win the silver for the men’s 65 kg event at the 2018 Para Asian games, as well as setting a new world record at the Para Powerlifting World Cup in Dubai earlier this year in June.
The Tokyo Paralympics powerlifting event concluded with Bonnie claiming the gold for his 228 kg effort, Egypt’s Mahmoud Attiar winning silver with 191 kg, and Britain’s Mickey Yule earning bronze with 182 kg.
MALAYSIAN ATHLETES SHINE AT THE 2021 TOKYO PARALYMPICS
Our athletes have certainly been standing out at the Paralympics; fellow participant Jong Yee Khie won the silver medal at the men’s powerlifting 107 kg category. Jong who is also from Sarawak, is part of the national powerlifting team together with Bonnie. He experienced a mild setback in his first attempt at the event before successfully lifting 237 kg on his second attempt.
.JPG)
Making his official debut at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, Yee Khie finished 7th in the men’s 97 kg event. Proving he has what it takes, Yee arrived at the Dubai Para Powerlifting World Cup to take home the silver after crushing his 239 kg lift.
"ExpatGo welcomes and encourages comments, input, and divergent opinions. However, we kindly request that you use suitable language in your comments, and refrain from any sort of personal attack, hate speech, or disparaging rhetoric. Comments not in line with this are subject to removal from the site. "
