Abas hog limelight at Sarawak Sports Awards
KUCHING: It was a night to remember for the Amateur Tenpin Bowling Association of Sarawak (Abas) as they bagged five main categories of the Sarawak Sports Awards 2015-2016 at the Riverside Majestic Hotel on Saturday night.
Its president Sunny Si Poh Heng was named the Best Sports Leader over the other nominees Allen Wong Siew Poh (Wushu), Mohammad Salleh Sani (Taekwondo) and Jumaat Ibrahim (Muaythai) while state head coach Jackson Ting Niik Soon won the Best Coach award. Tan Check Joon (Taekwondo) and Hussien Zawawi (Silat) were also nominated.
Abas a l so took the Bes t Association award while the other nominee was Pesron ( Persatuan Sukan Dan Rekreasi Orang Kurang Upaya Negeri Sarawak).
The state Sukma men’s tenpin bowling team comprising Ervin Lim Wai Mun, Christopher Tiong Lee Siong, Muhammad Syafiq Sajeli, Abang Afiq Yazid Abang Azman, Musayyar Khalid and Mohd Uzair Irsyad Noor Azrul was named the Best Men’s Team after beating the state men’s volleyball team.
Their female counterparts were victorious in the Best Women’s Team category and the winners were Nerosha Kelgit Thiagarajan, Jocelyna Judith Jonathan, Nur Syafiqah Sajeli, Gillian Lim Siew Giok, Jacelyn Ng Shuh Wun and Nur Aina Kamalia Abdul Ayub.
Meanwhile, Kuala Lumpur SEA Games double gold medallist in wushu Loh Jack Chang was picked over state swimming sensat ion Welson Sim Wee Sheng and taekwondo exponent Augustine Rudy Grocer to claim the Sportsman award.
Loh, 30, was the winner of one gold and one bronze at the World Wushu Championship in Jakarta in 2015 and one gold, one silver at Singapore SEA Games in the same year.
In 2016, the Miri- born athlete excel led at the Asia Wushu Championship where he won two gold medals and two silver medals in the World Wushu Championship.
Nurul Hidayah Abdul Karim made a big breakthrough when she won the Sportswoman award. Pandelela Rinong Pamg and swimmers Erika Kong Jia Jia and Angela Chieng Chui Fei were the other nominations.
Loh and Nurul Hidayah each received RM5,000, a trophy and certificate from Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas who represented the Chief Minister Datuk Amar Abang Johari Tun Openg.
The Most Promising Sportsman was weightlifter Jerry Gawan who won two gold medals at the Commonwealth Youth Games in 2016 while the Most Promising Sportswoman was 17- year old national paddler Alice Chang Li Sian from Kuching.
Jamery Siga and Nur Atirah Voon Abdullah were named Para Sportsman and Para Sportswoman respectively. The Best Para Coach award was won by Matthew Chin Hiong Choi.
Also present at the awards presentation dinner were State Secretary Tan Sri Datuk Amar Mohamad Morshidi Abdul Ghani who received a special award for being the organising chairman of Sukma Sarawak 2016, Minister of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Spor t s Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Assistant Yout h and Spor t s Min i ster Snowdan Lawan, Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin, Assistant Minister of Transportation Dr Jerip Susil, permanent secretary to the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture, Youth and Sports Datu Ik Pahon Joyik and Sarawak Sports Corporation CEO Dr Ong Kong Swee.