{
  "id": 5494905,
  "title": "Malaysia Athletics banks on Irfan for Asian Games medal",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/04/malaysia-athletics-banks-on-irfan-for-asian-games-medal",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-04T05:01:56.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "New Straits Times",
    "slug": "new-straits-times",
    "url": "https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2026/09/1525537/malaysia-athletics-banks-irfan-asian-games-medal"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Athletics (MA) has set its sights on veteran discus thrower Irfan Shamsuddin to secure a medal in the upcoming Asian Games in Nagoya, despite Azeem Fahmi and Shereen Samson Vallabouy having won bronze medals at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. The 31-year-old Irfan holds the national record of 62.88m, which he set in Hungary, and is currently ranked third in Asia. MA deputy president Datuk Wan Hisham Wan Salleh expressed confidence in Irfan's ability to bounce back from his Commonwealth Games performance, where he failed to record a mark after three fault throws.",
  "summary": "KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia Athletics (MA) are not banking on sprinter Azeem Fahmi or on track queen Shereen Samson Vallabouy to retain the bronze medals they won at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "BCCI breaks silence on Asian Games concerns, Saikia promises ‘best facilities’ for India cricketers",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/03/bcci-breaks-silence-on-asian-games-concerns-saikia-promises-best",
        "published": "2026-09-03T21:09:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "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."
}