Asean Para Games 2025: Singapore shot putter Diroy Noordin completes golden hat-trick in Thailand

SINGAPORE – Diroy Noordin celebrated a decade of international competition by winning his third straight Asean Para Games (APG) shot put gold at the Nakhon Ratchasima Sports Complex in Korat, Thailand on Jan 22.

In the F40 final, the Singaporean, who has dwarfism, topped the field with his opening 8.36m heave. Filipino Rocky Logrono was second with 7.40m, while Vietnamese Tran Van Nguyen (7.17m) bagged the bronze.

Diroy told The Straits Times: “It’s been amazing how I have come such a long way as a professional athlete, and my progression would not be possible if not for my coach and team who have been supporting me throughout these 10 years.”

The 33-year-old Paralympian, who made his international debut at the 2016 China Open, had won his first APG shot put gold in Indonesia in 2022 before retaining his title in Cambodia a year later.

While he is happy and grateful to secure a third straight APG title, he was also disappointed that he did not come close to his personal best of 10.02m set in 2024.

Diroy, who will compete in the men’s javelin F40 final on Jan 23, said: “I think only about my ability and technique to improve and try to get back the distance I used to throw, which is further than this. I kept trying but it didn’t go very well...

“I will go back and continue to work with my team and coach, keep learning and push again to get stronger again.

“I’m still not ready. I need to re-plan with my team, review my performance, which is not so good, and prepare for my next competitions. The plan was to come here and win, and the goal was to throw further than what I used to. My plan after this is Asian Games. To win a medal there, I need to go back and work very, very hard.

“The javelin is not my main event, but I still want to win and give it my all. I have been making a lot of mistakes in javelin, so this is the time to try to do better than before.”

Diroy’s coach Hosni Muhamad added: “It is not easy with his past injury in his lower back, but we managed to stabilise and maintain his condition for the Games.”

Meanwhile, 27-year-old swimmer Toh Wei Soong, who was diagnosed with transverse myelitis – an inflammation of the spinal cord, which restricts the use of his legs – claimed bronze in the men’s 100m backstroke S7-S8 final in 1min 18.31sec, behind Vietnamese champion Vo Huynh Anh Khoa (1:12.94) and Malaysian Rusmadi Rusdianto (1:14.77) at the Nakhon Ratchasima Swimming Complex.

Dinie Asyraf Huzaini, a 37-year-old who had a spinal cord injury and now uses a wheelchair, secured a joint bronze after he lost 3-0 to Thailand’s Paralympic medallist Yuttajak Glinbancheun in the table tennis men’s singles Class 3 semi-finals at the Central Korat shopping mall.

In cycling, Sebastian Tan also clinched a mixed road race MWT1-T2 bronze by finishing third out of four athletes in 1hr 20min 22sec, behind Thai pair Kittiyaporn Namakhan (1:08:33) and Noppakorn Leso (1:17:34).

A day earlier, the 25-year-old Games debutant, who has dystonia – a movement disorder that results in muscle spasms and abnormal posture – had won Singapore’s first gold medal at these Games with victory in the mixed individual time trial MWT1-T2.

Kelvin Goh, 65, who is Singapore’s oldest athlete at these Games, won the Republic’s second gold with his triumph in the para-tenpin bowling men’s singles TPB1 final on Jan 21.

After two days of competition, Team Singapore have three golds, two silvers and three bronzes. They finished seventh out of 11 countries in the 2023 edition with 12 golds, 15 silvers and 17 bronzes.