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Tokyo Paralympics: Diroy Noordin smashes national shot put record twice

Singapore's Muhammad Diroy Noordin competing in the men's shot put (F40) event at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
Singapore's Muhammad Diroy Noordin competing in the men's shot put (F40) event at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. (PHOTO: Reuters/Athit Perawongmetha)

SINGAPORE — Even though he could finish only in eighth position out of nine competitors in his men's shot put (F40) event, Muhammad Diroy Noordin's final throw was enough to break Singapore's national record at the Tokyo Paralympics on Sunday (29 August).

The 29-year-old, who has dwarfism, first threw 9.85 metres in his third throw at the Olympic Stadium to break his own national record of 9.78m set at the 2021 Singapore Athletics Performance Trial 2 in June.

Then, on his sixth and final throw, he smashed the record again, heaving a distance of 9.92m.

Diroy's result is a huge improvement from the 7.29m effort he threw during his Paralympic debut at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

Denis Gnezdilov of the Russian Paralympic Committee won the gold medal in a world-record throw of 11.16m, smashing the previous mark of 11.01m set by Portugal's Miguel Monteiro back in February.

Iraq's Garrah Tnaiash earned the silver in an Asian record 11.15m, while Monteiro took the bronze with a 10.76m throw.

Singapore swimmer Toh Wei Soong competes in the men's 400m freestyle (S7) heats at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. (PHOTO: Sport Singapore)
Singapore swimmer Toh Wei Soong competes in the men's 400m freestyle (S7) heats at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics. (PHOTO: Sport Singapore)

Toh Wei Soong 7th in men's 400m freestyle final

Over at the Tokyo Aquatics Centre, Singapore swimmer Toh Wei Soong finished seventh in the men's 400m freestyle (S7) final in a time of 5min 6.39sec.

The 22-year-old, who is making his debut appearance at the Paralympics. had entered the final as the seventh-fastest qualifier during the morning heats, clocking in at 5:03.82.

Israel's Mark Malyar won the event in a world-record time of 4:31.06, while the Ukraine's Andrii Trusov clinched the silver in 4:35.56 and the United States' Evan Austin earned the bronze in 4:38.95.

Toh - who has transverse myelitis, a condition caused by the inflammation of the spinal cord - has two more events to go: the men’s 50m freestyle (S7) on Tuesday and the men’s 50m butterfly (S7) on Friday.

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