BANGKOK, Dec 18 — At the SEA Games today, it was all smiles for the national men’s compound archery squad, men’s track cycling team pursuit squad, and men’s 3 Stars kabbadi team, which all brought home gold medals and made Malaysia proud.
Notably, the men’s track cycling team pursuit squad took home Malaysia’s 200th medal, while the men’s 3 Stars kabbadi team marked their first gold in the history of the games.
Strong winds that hit the competition venue did not stop the national men’s compound archery squad from defeating hosts Thailand in the SEA Games final today.
At the Sports Authority of Thailand Archery Range, the compound archery trio of Mohd Juwaidi Mazuki, Alang Ariff Aqil Muhammad Ghazalli and Muhammad Aiman Syafiq Mohd Tariki displayed great composure in challenging weather conditions to record a 232-228 victory.
The Thai team, which consisted of Sippakorn Kohkaew, Peerapat Pattanapongkiat and Ratandanai Wongtana, had to accept silver.
The success made up for the disappointment of winning silver at the 2021 SEA Games in Hanoi.
One of the archers, Muhammad Aiman Syafiq, said the success was a very meaningful achievement for him.
“Thank God, my first appearance at the SEA Games resulted in me winning a gold medal. I was greatly helped by the experience of the senior players,” Aiman said.
Meanwhile, the national track cycling squad cheered after achieving Malaysia’s 200th medal target by winning gold in the men’s team pursuit event at the Hua Mark Velodrome here today.
The squad comprising Abdul Azim Aliyas, Muhammad Adam Hakimi Nazuan, Muhammad Hafiq Mohd Jafri, Muhammad Yusri Shaari and New Joe Lau defeated hosts Thailand, who settled for silver, while Indonesia took bronze.
“We ourselves did not know about the 200th medal and it never crossed our minds. We were only focused on racing to the best of our ability.
“We also did not expect our main challengers, Indonesia, to fail to finish the race (DNF). We trained for months in preparation because they are indeed strong in this event. Whatever it is, this is our good fortune,” Azim said when met after the race.
Earlier, the track cycling camp shone by contributing two more gold medals, further boosting the nation’s medal haul.
One of the gold medals was delivered by Muhammad Ridwan Sahrom in the men’s keirin event.
Ridwan emerged champion after defeating the host nation’s rider and 2018 Asian Games gold medallist, Jai Angsuthasawit, by a margin of 0.027s, while another Thai rider, Norasetthada Bunma, completed the podium in third place.
The second gold medal from the track cycling camp was won by Nur Aisyah Mohamad Zubir in the women’s scratch event, defeating two Singaporean riders who took silver and bronze, respectively.
Malaysia also made history by winning their first-ever kabaddi gold medal at the SEA Games after the men’s team defeated Thailand in the 3 Stars event gold medal match at the Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin here tonight.
The triumph came with the Malaysian men’s team dominating proceedings to defeat Thailand 28-16 and secure the nation’s first-ever kabaddi gold at the 33rd SEA Games, where the sport was included for the first time in the history of the Games.
Meanwhile, the Malaysian women’s team narrowly lost 22-23 to Indonesia in the 3 Stars gold medal match, and settled for silver.
The kabaddi 3 Stars event is a short-format team competition designed to be faster and more intense than the standard format.
In this event, each team fields three players on court instead of the usual seven and competes in a smaller playing area, and matches are typically shorter, placing greater emphasis on speed, agility, individual skill and quick decision-making.
The national kabaddi squad are aiming to bring home two gold medals.
