Sabah overall champions
Sabah athletes showed their prowess by leading the state to the overall champions tle in the 10th BIMPNT-EAGA Friendship Games in Brunei Darussalam yesterday.
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah athletes showed their prowess by leading the state to the overall champions title in the 10th BIMPNT-EAGA Friendship Games in Brunei Darussalam yesterday.
The state contingent comprising 74 athletes clinched 23 gold, 17 silver and 15 bronze to edge nine other participating contingents in the three-day multi-sport event.
Hosts Brunei A settled for second placing with 16 gold, nine silver and 10 bronze followed by Northern Territory of Australia with 14 gold, 13 silver and eight bronze.
The rest of the contingents in order are Mindanao representing the Philippines with 10 gold, 12 silver and 13 bronzes, South Sulawesi of Indonesia (eight gold, 18 silver, 15 bronzes), Sarawak (six gold, eight silver, 18 bronzes), FT Labuan (six gold, two silver, nine bronzes), Palawan (three gold, two silver, four bronzes), Brunei B (two gold, four silver, six bronzes) and West Sulawesi (one silver).
Sabah took part in all eight sports contested namely aquatic (swimming), athletics, lawn bowls, karate, pencak silat (seni), sepak takraw, taekwondo (Poomsae) and Wushu (Taolu).
And the State athletics team contributed almost half of the gold medals where they ended their competition with 11 gold, four silver and two bronze medals.
The total haul also saw Sabah emerging as the top performers in the track and field events that offered 20 gold in total.
Nobeneca Pinalus and Chelsea Cassiopea Eavali Bopulas delivered two individual gold each where the former won in the women’s discus and shot putt while the latter won the sprint doubles for 100m and 200m.
In fact, the title for the fastest athletes at the Friendship Games were both won by Sabah with Desmond Wong Tzyy Luen winning the men’s 100m to add to Chealsea’s victory in the women’s Century dash.
The other gold were from Marlin Hing William (women’s 800m), Riksi Tahir (men’s 200m), men’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m relays.
The silver were from Marlin (women’s 1500m), Isaiah Ng (men’s 400m), Puteri Nur Safirah (women’s 200m) and Jad Rizalman Washif (men’s 200m) while the bronze from Puteri (women’s 400m) and Mel Vean Majuang (men’s long jump).
Athletics team manager Ali Aman was full of praise for the athletes, especially when they did not set any gold target for the Friendship Games.
Towards this end, Ali thanked Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Frankie Poon, the ministry’s permanent secretary-cum-Chef de Mission Datuk Awang Damit Ag Anak, Sabah Sports Council director Terrance Pudin, coaches, team officials and parents.
“Congratulations to the athletes for a good job. I want to express thanks to all who have contributed directly or indirectly in the athletes’ preparation that led to us becoming the overall champions,” he said.