MALAYSIAN long jumper Wong Kar Gee (pic) waited anxiously when his rival went for his last jump.
Kar Gee was in the bronze-medal position after clearing 6.85m in the Paralympics T12 long jump but Argentinian Fernando Vazquez broke his heart at the Stade de France yesterday.
Vazquez cleared 6.88m in his sixth and final jump and overtook the Malaysian for the third spot by 0.03m.
The 33-year-old Kar Gee with a visual impairment, had one final chance to change the outcome but he could only clear 6.78m in his final attempt and had to settle for the fourth spot out of six competitors.
Azerbaijan’s Said Najafzade leaped to the gold with a best jump of 7.27m, while Uzbekistan’s Doniyor Saliev took silver after clearing 7.16m.
Sabahan Kar Gee was naturally disappointed as he has a personal best of 7.06m.
He posted his personal best at the World Championship in 2019 and this year, he managed 7.05m en route to winning a bronze at the Kobe World Championship.
“It was close but I could have done better. My condition was not at the best,” said the Engineering Management degree holder from Inter American University in Miami, Florida.
“It is hard to say how I felt after my first jump. I did try my best but did not get the form that I wanted in Paris.
“I guess it’s a lesson for me. More training, more consistency,” said Kar Gee, who finished sixth (5.93m) in the previous Paralympics in Tokyo three years ago.
It could be Kar Gee’s last Games as he will be 37 at the next one in Los Angeles.
“I want to head home to Sabah and take a week’s rest. I will prepare for the Asian Championship next year, and see how I perform there.”
