{
  "id": 15582398,
  "title": "Sports minister hails Zuhairie after cyclist delivers Malaysia’s first Asian Para Games gold",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/sports-minister-hails-zuhairie-after-cyclist-delivers-malaysias-first",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-10-19T08:45:42.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Malay Mail",
    "slug": "malay-mail-malaymail",
    "url": "https://www.malaymail.com/news/sports/2026/10/19/sports-minister-hails-zuhairie-after-cyclist-delivers-malaysias-first-asian-para-games-gold/239750"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "On October 19, Malaysia's Youth and Sports Minister, Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johar, expressed his admiration for para track cyclist Zuhairie Ahmad Tarmizi after he secured Malaysia's first gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games in Japan. Zuhairie's victory came in the men's 1,000-metre time trial C5 category, where he completed the race in 1 minute and 5.361 seconds at the Izu Velodrome in Shizuoka. Dr Taufiq praised Zuhairie's determination, stating that the entire nation was proud of his achievements. The minister also shared a photograph of himself celebrating Zuhairie's success on Instagram following the competition.\n\nThailand's Jaturong Niwanti secured silver in 1:07.206, while Indonesia's Sufyan Saori claimed bronze with a time of 1:08.166. This win enabled Zuhairie to rectify his disappointment from the 2025 ASEAN Para Games in Thailand, where he finished with a silver medal after losing to Niwanti. Prior to this event, Zuhairie had set a new Games record in the qualifying round, clocking 1:04.882, surpassing China's Lai Shanzhang's previous mark of 1:07.311 from the 2022 edition in Hangzhou, China. The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Para Games, which began on October 19, will continue until October 24.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 19 — Youth and Sports Minister Dr Mohammed Taufiq Johar was left in awe of para track cyclist Zu...",
  "key_points": [
    "Dr Mohammed Taufiq hails Zuhairie after gold at Asian Para Games",
    "Zuhairie wins men's 1,000m time trial C5 in 1:05.361",
    "Zuhairie sets new Games record with 1:04.882"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Zuhairie’s record-breaking performance signals a major breakthrough for Malaysian para-cycling and provides the athlete with much-needed redemption following his previous silver medal finish at the ASEAN Para Games.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "New Straits Times",
        "title": "Asian Para Games: Yusof clinches bronze as cyclists shine in Shizuoka",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/asian-para-games-yusof-clinches-bronze-as-cyclists-shine-in-shizuoka",
        "published": "2026-10-19T08:11:19.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Channel News Asia",
        "title": "Swimmer Toh Wei Soong claims Singapore’s first medal at 2026 Asian Para Games",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/swimmer-toh-wei-soong-claims-singapores-first-medal-at-2026-asian",
        "published": "2026-10-19T08:47:27.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}