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KOTA KINABALU, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- Watching videos of three-time Olympic and world champion Ryan Crouser in action just a week before the competition inspired Sabah’s Earl Isaac Mitzler Fredolin to clinch the shot put gold medal at the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in Selangor on Sunday (Aug 16). Eighteen-year-old Earl Isaac said constantly watching the American legend’s throwing technique helped boost his motivation and improve his rhythm, enabling him to record the winning throw of 15.11 metres (m) on his fifth attempt. “I watched video clips of Ryan Crouser in action a week before competing. As a world champion, his technique is different from others and it helped me improve my throwing technique,” he said when contacted by Bernama today. Crouser is a three-time consecutive Olympic gold medallist, having won in Rio de Janeiro, Tokyo and Paris, and he also holds the outdoor shot put world record of 23.56m and the indoor record of 22.82m. The eldest of four siblings from Kampung Gayang, Tuaran, who is studying at Kolej Tingkatan Enam Kota Kinabalu, managed to ward off the challenges of Sarawak’s Jorez Puang Yi Jun (14.94m) and Hii Seng Yan (13.94m), who settled for silver and bronze, respectively. Earl Isaac’s personal best of 15.32m, using a 7.26-kilogramme (kg) shot put, was achieved at the Malaysian Education Institutions’ Games (SIPMA) in Johor last September. Recalling the most nerve-wracking moment of the SUKMA competition, Earl Isaac said he moved into the lead with his fifth attempt before having to anxiously wait for his rival’s final throw. “I moved into the lead with my fifth throw of 15.11m, but I was quite nervous waiting for my rival to complete his sixth and final attempt before I was confirmed as champion,” he said, adding that the first thing that came to mind after being confirmed as the winner was his family. “This victory is proof of the sacrifices I have made throughout my athletics career... all the sweat and injuries have been rewarded with the gold medal I have dreamed of all this while. “I dedicate this victory especially to the people of Sabah who have always supported the state contingent,” he said, while crediting the support and guidance of his coach, Suhaimin Kinsoi, particularly in improving his technique and competition mentality. Earl Isaac, who plans to earn a spot in the national team for the 2027 SEA Games, also advised young athletes not to give up easily when faced with failure. “Don’t let one defeat make you give up forever. Instead, turn that defeat into strength because I have been through it myself,” he said. -- BERNAMA BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies. Follow us on social media : Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial TikTok : @bernamaofficial