Kota Kinabalu: Sabah’s Sukma contingent must stay positive despite their failure to achieve their 40-gold target at the just concluded 20th Malaysian Games (Sukma) in Kuala Lumpur.
Chef de Mission Mansur Asun said this followed the contingent only managing to win 30 golds in addition to 29 silvers and 39 bronzes in the biennial games.
“It’s of course disappointing not to realise our dream but I prefer to look at this setback from a positive point of view, and learn from the experience, and I believe we will come back stronger in the next Sukma.
“We had made the best possible preparations and I am also satisfied with the fighting spirit and discipline of the athletes and officials, it is obvious that other teams also did the same.
“Although we did not reach the target in some sports, other sports really stood out and managed to surpass our expectations such as aquatic sports, wushu, tenpin bowling, karate, petanque and muaythai.
“We also have many potential young athletes including those who have already delivered in this edition of Sukma such as Loo Yie Bing who won four gold medals in the swimming events,” he said.
Mansur also expressed his gratitude to all those involved in the preparation and support, especially the Sabah Sukma secretariat, medical doctors, Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS), the Department of Education and the athletes’ family members.
Meanwhile, Sabah had sent a contingent of 466 athletes to compete in 293 of the 426 events staged in aquatic sports (swimming and diving), badminton, cycling, football, lawn bowls, gymnastics (artistic and gymnastics), hockey, karate, archery, shooting, athletics, sailing, pencak silat, squash, tenpin bowling, wushu, weightlifting, netball, volleyball (indoor and beach), basketball, golf, judo, canoeing, cricket, muaythai, petanque, sepaktakraw rugby, tennis and boxing.
Apart from the seven gold medals won by the track and field team, they also contributed eight silvers and three bronzes followed by aquatics sports with six golds, two silvers and five bronzes; karate (3 golds, 2 silvers, 7 bronzes); sailing (2 golds, 5 silvers, 1 bronze); muaythai (2 golds, 3 silvers, 3 bronzes); wushu (2 golds, 2 silvers, 1 bronze); women’s sepaktakraw (2 golds); tenpin bowling (2 golds); weightlifting (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronzes); boxing (1 gold, 1 silver, 2 bronzes); archery (1 gold, 1 bronze); and petanque (1 gold).
Other medal contributors were cycling (1 silver, 1 bronze); gymnastics (1 silver); judo (1 silver, 2 bronzes); lawn bowls (1 silver, 1 bronze); pencak silat (5 bronzes); squash (1 silver, 1 bronze); rugby (1 bronze); volleyball (1 bronze); and beach volleyball (1 bronze).
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