GLASGOW, Aug 3 — Malaysia ended its 2026 Glasgow Commonwealth Games campaign with an impressive achievement of eight gold, three silver, and five bronze medals to place 10th in the overall medal standings.
The eight-gold haul is the country’s best achievement since clinching 12 gold medals at the 2010 New Delhi edition, surpassing its Birmingham 2022 tally by one gold while also exceeding the target of five gold, two silver, and four bronze medals set for Glasgow 2026.
What makes this achievement even more significant is that it was accomplished by a much smaller contingent: 59 athletes, including 22 para athletes, and Malaysia competed in only eight of the 10 sports and 63 of the 215 events contested.
Malaysian chef de mission Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz described the performance as a historic moment for the country’s sports after the contingent surpassed its targets in every medal category.
“This achievement is a testament to the athletes who worked tirelessly to achieve success. Whether they won medals or not, every athlete gave their all and did their best for the national contingent,” he said during a media conference on the contingent’s performance on Sunday.
Although the overall medal tally is lower than the 23 won at Birmingham 2022, Malaysia’s campaign in Glasgow can be considered more efficient, given the size of the contingent and the number of events contested.
Four years ago, Malaysia sent 105 athletes to compete in 15 sports and 96 events, returning home with seven gold, eight silver, and eight bronze medals.
Awalan acknowledged that the Glasgow 2026 achievement would not have been possible without the comprehensive support of the National Sports Council, the National Sports Institute, the Paralympic Council of Malaysia, the Olympic Council of Malaysia, and the national sports associations.
He also thanked the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation, following the outstanding performance of the weightlifters, who contributed almost half of the country’s overall medal haul.
“The achievement belongs to the athletes, while our role is to provide the support system that enables them to focus fully on their pursuit of glory,” said the Malaysian Lawn Bowls Federation president.
Awalan also hopes that the success in Glasgow would provide a firm foundation for the national contingent to compete in the upcoming international outings, particularly the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games (September 19 to October 4), while further boosting efforts to establish Malaysia as a sporting nation.
Weightlifting emerged as the pillar of Malaysia’s success this time, contributing five golds, one silver, and one bronze from the nine athletes fielded.
The five gold medallists are Mohamad Aniq Kasdan (men’s 60kg), Muhamad Aznil Bidin (65kg), Muhammad Erry Hidayat (79kg), Muhammad Hafizuddin Roslin (88kg), and Muhamad Syahmi Nor Ghazali (94kg), with the five lifters collectively setting 10 new Games records.
Meanwhile, women lifters Siti Aqilah Farhana Draman and Irene Jane Henry won silver in the 86kg and bronze in the 48kg categories respectively.
Judo exponent Daniel Abdul Majeed also made history when he delivered Malaysia’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in the sport after triumphing in the below-81kg category.
At the Sir Chris Hoy Velodrome, Datuk Mohd Azizulhasni Awang ensured his final appearance at the Games ended in style by winning the men’s keirin, completing his Commonwealth Games medal collection with a maiden gold.
Paralympic champion Datuk Abdul Latif Romly also made history by winning gold in the inaugural men’s T20 long jump, while Eljoe Gotuoh clinched bronze.
Meanwhile, lawn bowls contributed two silvers and two bronzes, including a bronze from the para lawn bowls squad.
Izzat Shameer Dzulkeple became the first Malaysian lawn bowler to win a medal in the men’s singles event after bagging a silver, while the women’s pairs combination of Aleena Ahmad Nawawi-Syafiqa Haidar Afif Abdul Rahman also bagged a silver medal.
Powerlifting ace Bonnie Bunyau Gustin also chipped in with a bronze in the men’s lightweight event.
Glasgow 2026, which began on July 23, concluded on Sunday night.
