SUBANG JAYA, Aug 18 — The Selangor women’s kabbadi team made up for their 2024 loss in Sarawak by taking home the SUKMA gold at MBSJ Stadium this afternoon.
They beat the Federal Territories 34-33 in a tense final that saw both teams fight to the end of the match.
Selangor showed their impeccable defence and energetic play without allowing their opponents to collect points, while both sides’ spectators kept the atmosphere alive with cheers and chants.
State squad member Thurgasri Arumugam stole the show by scoring point after point and pushing Selangor ahead of the game, but the opponents fought back in the second half and evened the tally.
It was all for naught, though, as the home team stood their ground and tipped the balance in their favour to take gold.
Selangor captain Sankari Pushpanathan said she is happy with the victory, even with the narrow win.
“We are proud because we’ve been training for a long time, actually. At least 11 months we’ve trained for this gold, so we are very happy.
“The match just now wasn’t easy but we won. This is a team effort so I’m very happy,” she told Media Selangor.
Sankari added that even though the Federal Territories were formidable opponents, she managed to control her team to make sure victory was Selangor’s.
“As captain, I have to make sure each player’s discipline and mindset remains calm. I am proud to have controlled my team to the end of the match,” she said.
Earlier, Perak defeated Terengganu 36-25 to take bronze in the women’s kabbadi event. The Federal Territories, which took silver, previously won the men’s and women’s gold in SUKMA Sarawak 2024.
