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State silat team improves medal haul BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sports - New 2 Borneo

State silat team improves medal haul

Posted: 29 May 2014 10:58 AM PDT

Coach happy despite missing four-gold target in Perlis, divers and bowlers contribute medals

KUCHING: Sarawak's challenge in pencak silat ended with a total haul of two gold, two silver and three bronze medals.

On the final day of the silat olahraga competition at Dewan Rakan Sukan, Perlis Sports Complex, Sarawak's exponents Muhammad Hafiz Remmy Iskandar and Olivia Chong failed to strike gold in their respective events.

Hafiz lost 1-4 to Mohd Izzat Amat Besar from Perak in the Putera H (80-85kg) while Olivia was no match for Rosenidah Mohamad of Sabah, losing 0-5 in the Puteri F (70-75kg) final.

Team manager Mohamad Yusnar Matalie said although the team failed to achieve its four-gold target, the result was better than the one gold medal they won at Sukma XV in Pahang two years ago.

"They will have to train harder to improve themselves and about half of the team members are still eligible for Sukma 2016 in Sarawak and by then they should be very matured for the challenge," he said.

In squash, Sarawak edged Penang 2-1 to top Group A with eight points and will face Kelantan in the semi-finals.

Sanjay Singh Chal suffered discomfort on his ankle and lost 2-3 to Ryan Neville Pasqual in the first singles but Jess Tay and Marcus Sim managed to pull Sarawak back win 3-0 and 3-1 wins over Heng Kai Heng and Muhammad Ezzri Nazri in the second and third singles.

Sarawak will play Kelantan in the semi-final later yesterday while the other semi-final is between Negeri Sembilan and Kuala Lumpur.

Diving yielded one bronze for Sarawak through Enrique Maccartney Harold and Leo Ah Boon who collected 245.01 points in the platform synchronised diving. The gold was won by Kua Chee Yeap and Muhammad Syafiq Puteh of Perak who garnered 303.78 points while Farez Izzudin Shuhaimi and Ng Zheng Yuan from Selangor collected the bronze with 263.91 points.

Late Wednesday at the Perlis Bowl, Kayangan Square Mall, the pair of Jocelyna Judith Jonathan and Nerosha Keligit Thiagarajan delivered the state bowling team's second gold.

Jocelyna-Nerosha's score was 2,399 pinfalls, finishing 38 pins ahead of silver medallists from Negeri Sembilan Nur Dayana Zuhdi and Nurain Mustaffa while the bronze medal was won by Pahang's pair of Faten Najihah Ahmad Faik and Sharifah Munirra Syed Mohsin with 2,342 pinfalls.

In yesterday's boys doubles contest, Anthony Luang Cheng and Mohd Uzair Irsyad Noor Azrul, who competed in Squad B, knocked down 2,454 pinfalls to pick up a bronze medal for Sarawak.

The gold medal was won by Melaka's Abdul Basit Mohamad and Ahmad Daniel Zainal Abidin (2,549) while the silver went to Perak's pair of Arif Fauzi Shah and Mohamad Farhan Azri Mohamad Ariff (2,477).

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Michael Sia continues Sarawak supremacy in hammer throw

Posted: 29 May 2014 10:55 AM PDT

KUCHING: Michael Sia Sung Dak has proven to be a worthy successor to Jackie Wong Siew Cheer as Sarawak won the men's hammer throw gold medal for the fourth consecutive Sukma at the Stadium Tuanku Syed Putra, Perlis Sports Complex yesterday.

The Pahang Sukma silver medallist heaved the hammer to a record distance of 56.98m to grab the gold.

Making it a one-two finish for Sarawak in the event was Jackson Wong Chuen Young whose best throw was 50.05m.

The bronze medallist went to Rizhan Rajmi of Perlis with a distance of 46.55m.

In three consecutive Sukma in Terengganu in 2008, Melaka in 2010 and Pahang in 2012, Jackie Wong won the gold and his Sukma record of 55.23 created two years ago was broken by Michael yesterday.

This achievement is also a timely and memorable one for Michael as it is his final Sukma appearance.

The student of Bukit Jalil Sports School, who hails from Bintangor, felt happy for delivering the state contingent's first gold medal in athletics.

"I have worked very hard for this and all my efforts have off handsomely today. I would like to thank my coach Gu Yuan, family and all those who have helped me and supported me," said the thrower who took up hammer throw four years ago.

His next target is to break the national hammer throw record of 62.15m held by Jackie Wong and created at Kuala Lumpur Open last month.

He will continue to train hard and take part in a few competitions in the hope of making it to the national squad for the SEA Games in Singapore in June next year.

Meanwhile, Michael's coach Gu Yuan was happy with his performance yesterday, saying that he had the potential to go further in the hammer throw.

"I have been training him for about a year and I am happy with his discipline and good attitude towards training. He has improved a lot and I believe he is able to better the national record of 62.15m," she said.

Gu was the first Chinese athlete to have won the World Cup hammer throw gold medal with a distance of 70.77m in 2002.

The eight-time Asian Games gold medallist's (1998-2005) best achievement was 72.36m at Asian Games in 2003.

"I am also expecting my other student Casier Renee Lee to do well in the women's hammer throw at this Games," said Gu.

Queenie Ting delivered Sarawak's second gold in athletics yesterday by throwing the discus in the women's competition to a distance of 42.47m in her sixth attempt.

Second was Connie Choo Kn of Johor (37.83m) and the bronze went to another Sarawakian Anny Tang but representing Perlis as she had been studying in the Institute of Teachers Education (IPG) Perlis for three years, with a distance of 34.41m.

Ting expressed her happiness in achieving her target of winning the gold in this event and took the opportunity to thank her coach Thomas Ling for his coaching and guidance.

Another Sarawak athlete Nur Aisyah Ahmat  repeated her achievement in Pahang Sukma by coming in third place in the first event of the day, the women's 5,000m walk in 26:15.83.

The gold and silver were won by Elena Goh of Kuala Lumpur in 25:59.38 and Ling En of Johor in 26:06.46.

Also in action yesterday was Ahmad Tarmizi Ahmad Sabirin and Jonathan Nyepa who were disqualified after making false starts.

Tarmizi was disqualified in the men's 100m heat 1 while Jonathan, who clocked the fastest qualifying time of 10.64s, was disqualified in the men's 100m semi-finals heat 1.

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Women fours team clinch first gold in lawn bowls

Posted: 29 May 2014 10:53 AM PDT

KANGAR: The state's Sukma lawn bowl women fours team beat the odds to clinch the gold medal yesterday.

In the final match of the event, the state team beat hot favourites Terengganu 15-6 sending Sarawak Lawn Bowling Association (SALBA) president Awang Mahyan Awang Mohamed  jumping for joy.

According to him, all the hard work had paid off and he was proud of the state women team's achievement.

"I flew all the way here from Sarawak as I believe (before the tournament) that the state lawn bowling team can win at least one gold medal this year.

"This was a special moment for me," he enthused when interviewed by The Borneo Post after the match.

Awang Mahyan was optimistic that Sarawak could win more medals in the days to come as the state team still has a few more events left to play.

"Before the games, we promised to deliver three gold medals. To me this is one down, two more to go," he said.

The state womens fours team who won the gold medal compprised Nur Haninah Humairah Zafrullah, Nur Fithri Yaani Hamdin, Nur Fitri Rosmadi and Sharifah Shaza Nisrina Mumtaz Wan Jemudin.

The Sukma lawn bowls events are held at the Perlis State Sports Complex in Kangar.

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