Singapore’s Muhammad Diroy Noordin sets national shot put record at Tokyo Paralympics, finishes 8th

SINGAPORE: Singaporean athlete Muhammad Diroy Noordin broke his own national record in the men’s shot put F40 at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday (Aug 29) with a throw of 9.92m.

Diroy, who was Singapore’s flag bearer at the Games’ opening ceremony, bettered his previous mark of 9.78m on his way to finishing eighth out of nine competitors.

The event was won by Denis Gnezdilov of the Russian Paralympic Committee who broke the world record with a throw of 11.16m.

Defending champion Garrah Tnaiash of Iraq had to settle for silver this time around, just 1cm behind Gnezdilov’s mark, while Portugal’s Miguel Monteiro claimed the bronze with a 10.76m effort.

F40 classification events are open to athletes with short statures, according to World Para Athletics. 

This was Diroy’s second appearance at the Paralympics, and his record-breaking throw marked a significant improvement from his best effort at Rio 2016, a 7.29m throw which placed him ninth out of 10 athletes. 

Minister for Culture, Community and Youth Edwin Tong, who is on his way to Tokyo, celebrated Diroy’s new record in a Facebook post.

“The 2019 Sportsman of the Year, Muhammad Diroy Noordin, showed his might and gave his all at the Men’s Shot Put F40 Finals this morning to achieve a throw of 9.92m - a new National record! Good throw there Diroy!” he said.

“Diroy may seem shy and soft spoken but has big dreams and ambitions - to make Singapore proud and fly our flag high at the Games.”

The Singapore Disability Sports Council also sent its congratulations to the 29-year-old and his team.

“Well done Diroy! Big congratulations to Coach Muhamad Hosni Bin Muhamad and the team for the fantastic result!” the Council said in a Facebook post.

“This is a testament to everybody's hard work and dedication to keep improving. Keep pushing your limits and keep throwing further!”