KUALA LUMPUR, April 10 — Having spent the last two years celebrating Hari Raya Aidilfitri on his own, national weightlifter Muhammad Erry Hidayat is delighted that he will be home with his family for this year’s festivity.
The 24-year-old could not return to his hometown to celebrate Aidilfitri in 2022 because he was busy training in Pahang in preparation for the 2021 Hanoi SEA Games.
(The 2021 Hanoi SEA Games were postponed to 2022 due to the increasing number of Covid-19 cases in Vietnam.)
Muhammad Erry, however, admitted that the sacrifice proved worthwhile as he managed to bag a bronze medal en route to setting a new national record in the men’s 73-kilogramme (kg) snatch and clean and jerk events by lifting 316kg in May 2022 in Hanoi.
“Did not celebrate Raya (in 2022), just had a video call with the family. Training in Malaysia, but still could not go back to my hometown for Raya. But, at least, I won bronze in Vietnam and even broke the national record.
“It felt great! Although I did not get to celebrate Raya (with the family), when I went back to Malaysia, I held an open house and invited all my friends to celebrate and rejoice,” he told Bernama.
However, things did not turn out as expected when he had to miss out on celebrating Hari Raya with his family last year in preparation for the 2023 SEA Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
That’s because a recurring hip injury put paid to his chances of defending the bronze he won the previous year.
“Felt sad at that time... not only did I not get to celebrate Hari Raya with my family as I was training in Surabaya, Indonesia, I also could not give my best in the Cambodia SEA Games. I felt that my sacrifices were in vain,” he said.
But that has not dampened his enthusiasm nor love for the sport as he vowed to continue with his training schedule to make sure he can bag a medal at next year’s Bangkok SEA Games.
For now, though, it’s time to tuck into some delicious Hari Raya delicacies and spend quality time with family and friends. — Bernama
