Our future looks bright
First-timers and youths steal the show in 9th Asean Para Games
FIRST-timers and young athletes stole the show for Malaysia at the 9th Asean Para Games.
Malaysia ended their campaign yesterday with 90 golds, 85 silvers and 84 bronzes to finish second overall behind Indonesia (126-75-50).
The 324- athlete Malaysian contingent failed to meet the 103-gold target but they did better than at the 2015 Singapore Games. Then, Malaysia were third overall with a 50-49-41 haul.
National Sports Council ( NSC) director- general Datuk Shapawi Ahmad said their development programmes for the para athletes had bore fruit.
“A total of 111 athletes made their debut and contributed a total of 30 golds. We’ve talents for the future,” he said during a press conference with chef de mission Datuk Subramanian Raman Nair and deputy chef de mission Mohd Safrushahar Yusoff.
“Our youths have also done well. A total of 146 of the athletes are aged 25 and below. And 35 athletes in eight sports from this group contributed 38 golds.”
The successful debutants in the Games are 21-year-old Muhd Afiq Afify (cycling, two golds), 17-year-old Muhd Adi Raimie Amizazahan (cycling, one gold), 18-year-old S. Thavanesvaran ( athletics, two golds), Anas Zul Amirul Sidi (swimming, one gold), 16-year-old Eddy Bernard (athletics, two golds) and Muhd Ikhwan Ramli (badminton, one gold).
Shapawi was also pleased that nine Games record were broken by the Malaysians – six in swimming, athletics (two) and powerlifting (one).
Cycling and goalball were hailed as the most successful sports.
“Cycling won 22 out of 26 golds. The goalball team made history by winning their first-ever gold since the Games’ inception in 2001. They ended Thailand’s supremacy,” said Shapawi.
He also commended athletics, badminton, chess, swimming and bowling for winning more golds than the 2015 Games.
He said there were several reasons why Malaysia fell short of 13 golds from the targeted 103.
“I’m glad that we met our target as the second- best team. We’ve over targeted because we didn’t have knowledge of our opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
“We based our medal projection on Thailand’s supremacy at the 2015 Games but Indonesia came from nowhere to win the overall title.
“Chess, boccia and table tennis offered many medals but we are not strong in these events. There were also injury woes to our gold medal prospects like Ridzuan Puzi (athletics), Jeremy Siga (swimming) and Mohd Shahmil (powerlifting).
“Archery, wheelchair basketball, VI football and CP football also failed to deliver the goods. They could not handle the pressure of playing at home.”
Overall, Shapawi was happy that their investment on para athletes were showing results.
He hoped that these athletes would ride on their success at the Commonwealth Para Games in Australia next April and the Asian Para Games in Indonesia in August.