State Sports Awards to honour Sabah’s top athletes tonight
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s finest in the sports arena for 2015 and 2016 will be celebrated at the Sabah State Sports Awards tonight.
The glittering event will be happening at the Pacific Grand Ballroom at Pacific Sutera Hotel here where Head of State Tun Juhar Mahiruddin is expected to grace the event.
As in past ceremonies, the presentation for the Sportsman and Sportswoman awards will be the main highlights, where for the first time, Special Athletes will compete with ablebodied counterpart for the top awards.
The 2013/2014 winners, karateka Ricky Leong and archer Fatin Nurfateha Mat Salleh, did enough to be counted among the candidates yet again.
The now retired Ricky was superb in 2015 where he was the gold medallist in the Individual Kata at the World Karate 1 Premier League in Brazil while also winning the Team Kata at the 4th ASEAN Karate Do Champions in Laos.
Ricky also took silver in the Team Kata events at the 4th AlAhli Dubai Open and 13th Asian Karate Do Championship in Japan respectively.
He ended 2015 as the number 10th ranked Kata exponent in the world.
Ricky, who is now one of the Sabah’s state coaches, will face stiff competition for the Sportsman award with seven other highly successful athletes also in the list.
They are national hurdler Rayzam Shah Wan Sofian, Muay Thai exponent Mohamad Shah Ahmad, archers Wong Co Wan and Lee Kin Lip, fencer Adam Nicholas Lindbichler, weightlifter Loro Welkinson Peujip and Special Athlete shuttler Didin Taresoh.
Among the top contenders would be Singapore SEA Games 2016 gold medallists Kin Lip (Team event), Adam (Team event) and BWF World Men’s Singles champion for the SS6 category, Didin.
As for Fatin, her multiple gold medals won at various international events in 2015 and 2016 makes her the leading contender for the Sportswoman award.
Among her most notable achievements include winning the Team Gold at the Archery World Cup Stage 1, a three-gold showing at the Singapore SEA Games 2015, Team gold at the Asia Cup Stage 1 as well as three gold at the ASEAN University Games 2016.
Fatin, however, is expected to face strong challenges for her title with some very impressive performers among the candidates.
They are Juliana Mohd Din (hockey), Audrey Jaypus (karate), Zaryati Zakaria (Muay Thai), Fatin Faqihah Mohd Yusof (athletics), Nurul Ain Sohrab (silat) and Special Athlete, Felicia Mikat (athletics).
Among Fatin’s strongest challengers will come from ASEAN Para Games three gold medallists and National Sports Award Best Female Paralympic Athlete, Felicia, hockey player Juliani, who has 200 international caps and winner of SEA Games 2015 gold, and Nur Ain, who was a gold medallist at the ASEAN University Games and bronze medallist in the World Championship.
For the record, Didin and Felicia will also be eyeing for the Best Male and Female Special Athlete category awards.
Altogether, 15 awards will be presented tonight, including the Most Promising Sportsman and Sportswoman, Best Men’s Team, Best Women’s Team, Best Sports Association, Best Sports Club, Best Coach, Sports Laureate, Sports Leadership Award and Special Award.
There will also be awards for Best Sportswriter (English, Chinese, Bahasa Malaysia) and Electronic Media.