Tawau athletes shine at Closed Athletics Championship
Tawau athletes showed their prowess by coming out top in the Sabah Closed Athletics Championship that ended at the Likas Stadium on Sunday.
Featuring some of the top names both in the state and country track and field arena, Tawau justified their reputation by emerging as overall champions with 11 gold and two bronze medals.
Malaysia Sports School Sabah (SSMS) with six golds, nine silvers and two bronzes as well as SMK Tandek with two golds, three silvers and three bronzes finished second and third overall.
Malaysia Games (Sukma) 2018 multi-medallist Chelsea Cassiopea Bopulas as well as Shahrimien Saimoh led Tawau’s gold rush where they combined to win five of the team’s total gold haul.
Chelsea’s two indivdual golds were achieved in the women’s 100m in 12.56s and the 200m in 26.19s, thus completing the unique sprint doubles.
Shahrimien also took home gold in the men’s 100m in 11.14s while the second gold came from the 400m in 49.04s.
The duo then bagged their fifth gold when combining with Fathin Faqihah Mohd Yusof and Asaad Nasution Haris to finish first in the Hybrid Relay, winning in 1:45.60s.
National athlete Fathin had earlier won in her pet event, the women’s 400m, in 58.18s.
Apart from Fathin, the other double gold medallists for Tawau were Raymond Yew and Nur Aliah Batrisyah Karim.
Raymond clocked 2:01.32s and 4:25.51s to win the men’s 800m and 1,500m gold respectively.
Nur Aliah then achieved similar feats in the women’s category, winning the two-lap sprint event 800m in 2:29.58s before taking gold in the 1,500m in 5:31.44s.
The other gold for Tawau came from the women’s 100m hurdles where Karmentina Nadia Quadra was timed at 15.65s en-route to winning the gold.
Tawau also added two bronze medals through Yousha Nasyuha Yusri (women long jump - 4.34m) and the quartet of Lifeina Julin, Aniq, Jamal and Miana Masinta from the Hybrid Relay (1:57.00s).
Around 300 athletes from 39 teams from throughout the state took part in the twoday championship that the Sabah Sports Council (SSC) organised.
Meanwhile, Youth and Sports Ministry permanent secretary Mohd Yusrie Abdullah expressed hope that the Sabah Amateur Athletics Association would get back on track to actively implement development programmes.
He said the association’s registration has been suspended by the Malaysia Sports Commision since October 29 last year, which forced the ministry through SSC to take over its administration.
“We have no intention to take over SAA but it is very important that we have a tournament for our athletes as well as coaches for all the dedication and hard work in training,” he said in his speech.
According to him, the Sabah Closed was also a platform to identify the best athletes to represent Sabah at the 96th Malaysia Open in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur from August 16 to 18.
The state closed was also an avenue for the district athletes to gauge themselves in preparation for the Sabah Games (SAGA) that Keningau will host from December 7 to 13.
Among those present at the prize presentation and closing ceremony were Sabah Sports Board (SSB) board member Aliudin Jumaat and SSC assistant director (event management division) Valerie Wong.