KUALA LUMPUR – Having been absent from the top podium spot for the past three days, Perlis finally won not one, but two gold medals on the final day of athletics events at the 20th Malaysian Games (Sukma) held at Bukit Jalil National Stadium, today.
In the men’s discus throw event, Kamal Farhan Abdul Rahman gave Perlis its long-awaited gold medal after the 21-year-old recorded a throw of 48.08m to comfortably secure the win.
He was miles ahead of the competition as runner-up Jonah Chang Rigan from Sarawak only managed to set a distance of 43.82m. Johor’s Tan Jing Cheng took bronze with a 41.25-m throw.
Making his last Sukma appearance, the long-awaited gold medal was heavily sought after by Kamal but he felt he could have done more.
“I am proud of my achievement, but I am not too satisfied with my performance today.
“I could not beat my personal best of 50.92m, which I set at the Asean University Games in August,” he said after the event.
Perlis then doubled their athletics gold medal tally after Syed Abrar Syed Ahmad Zawawi scored 60.00m in his final attempt at the men’s javelin, giving him the win ahead of Sabah’s Mohd Alif Mohd Razi, whose best score was 59.59m.
As it stands, Perlis currently sit 12th in the medal standings with two golds, one silver, and two bronze medals.
Johor lead the medal table with 24 gold, 16 silver, and 12 bronze medals, while Terengganu are in second with 12 gold, 12 silver, and 9 bronze medals. Sabah are close behind in third with 12 gold, 10 silver, and 10 bronze medals.
With only one silver and one bronze medal so far, Brunei are currently the only country yet to sit atop the podium.
In the 1,500m event, Johor swept both gold medals on offer after Padhmaloshini Jayaseelan and Mohamad Amirul Arif Mohd Azri clocked times of 4m 44.72s and 4m 2.65s in the women’s and men’s category respectively.
Muhammad Arsyad Md Saat, who defeated national sprinter Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi in the 200m event earlier today, also helped Johor bag gold in the 4x400m men’s relay.
Winnie Eng also returned from her success in the 100m hurdles to help her Kuala Lumpur quartet win the 4x400m women’s relay, clocking 3m 55.49s, but not before contributing the third gold of the day through the women’s heptathlon. – The Vibes, September 18, 2022
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