Malaysian youth para squad return with five golds

PETALING JAYA: The 12-member national contingent have done the country proud at the just-concluded Asian Youth Para Games in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Malaysia bagged five gold, one silver and two bronze medals (5-1-2) to be placed 14th in the 30-nation medal standings.

Athletics and table tennis led the way with two golds each. Powerlifting contributed a gold to achieve the five-gold target.

Eddy Bernard (athletics) and Chee Chaoming (table tennis) were the contingent’s best performing athletes winning two golds.

Eddy won the boys’ Under-18 T37 (cerebral palsy) 100m and long jump events while Chaoming matched him by triumphing in the SM9 boys’ singles (physical impairment) and joined forces with Ahmad Syahir Kamal Saupi to claim the SM9 and SM10 boys’ team gold.

Ahmad Syahir also clinched a silver in the SM10 boys’ singles (physical impairment).

Powerlifter Wan Nurazri Wan Azman was victorious in the boys’ 97kg category.

The remaining two bronzes were won by Muhd Zulhaizat Zainal Abidin in the boys’ Under-20 T13 (visual impairment) 200m and 400m events.

Chef de mission Siti Zaharah Abdul Khalid commended the small contingent for pulling off a massive effort in Dubai

“Being one of the smallest contingents at the Games, I could not ask for a better performance from these 12 athletes who took part in only five out of the 10 sports contested,” said Siti Zaharah, who is also the secretary-general of the Malaysian Paralympic Council.

“Winning five golds, one silver and two bronze medals is a great achievement considering we had barely three months to prepare after the KL Asean Para Games (September).”

About 800 athletes competed in the quadrennial Games in Dubai.

Japan retained the overall title for the third successive time with a haul of 43-29-26, followed by Iran (39-4435) and China (27-9-5).

Malaysia hosted the last edition in 2003, winning 19 golds, 22 silvers and 18 bronzes to finish fourth.

At the inaugural Games in Tokyo in 2009, Malaysia returned with five golds, seven silvers and 10 bronzes.