"I am ready. This is the time for me to deliver a high achievement. Opportunities are indeed quite open," Halim remarked on the sidelines of a training session at the Sriwedari Stadium in Solo, Central Java, on Thursday.
In the upcoming Asian Para Games, Halim will compete in the 100 meters and 200 meters T11 for which he has the specialization and has proven his abilities in several international championships.
Halim, hailing from West Java, won a gold medal at the 2017 ASEAN Para Games in Malaysia. During that time, he had defeated two representatives of Thailand: Watbok Peerapon and S. Songphint.
"My best time record is 11.54 seconds, but I still lost to the Chinese athlete, with a time record of 11.45 seconds," the 34-year-old athlete remarked.
Halim, who has been blind since senior high school, was also motivated by government awards if athletes are able to contribute gold medals.
In addition to winning gold in the ASEAN Para Games 2017, Halim secured a bronze medal at the 2014 Asian Games in Incheon, South Korea.
Meanwhile, Slamet Widodo from the Indonesian NPC athletic board remarked that athletics was the mainstay for winning gold medals, with the target set for three.
"For the time being, Abdul Halim is targeting to win silver. However, seeing the spirit and time record, we hope he would be able to spring a surprise by winning gold," he noted when confirmed.
Earlier, the torch of Asian Para Games 2018 was paraded in the city of Solo in Central Java on Wednesday after it was lit using the eternal flame in Mrapen Grobogan, Central Java.
The torch, which arrived at the National Paralympic Committee office at around 2 p.m. local time, was welcomed by hundreds of athletes, who would compete in the event.
A total of 2,888 athletes from 41 countries will compete in 18 sports to be featured at the 2018 Asian Paragames scheduled in Jakarta on October 6-13, 2018.
Reporting by Bayu Kuncahyo
Editing by Bustanuddin, Yoseph Hariyadi
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Reporter: Antara
Editor: Andi Abdussalam
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