Early National Day Joy As Malaysia Emerge Overall Champions In SEA Deaf Games

JAKARTA, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- With six days left to the 68th National Day celebration, the Malaysian deaf contingent has already stolen a march on the historic moment when it closed the competition in Jakarta with a record 25-gold haul to be crowned overall champions of the second edition of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Deaf Games.

The 25th gold was delivered in style by woman bowler Siw Sing Hie, who knocked down 1,491 pins to win the Women’s Masters event to complete Malaysia’s glorious outing in Jakarta.

Overall, the Malaysian contingent, comprising 80 athletes and officials, won 10 gold medals in athletics, eight in bowling, five in chess and two in badminton.

This marks an extraordinary increase compared to the 15 gold medals won in the inaugural edition in Kuala Lumpur 2022, proving that the country's deaf sports development programme is becoming more mature, competitive and bearing fruit.

The haul of 25 golds, 16 silvers and 11 bronzes not only exceeds the initial 16-gold target but also strengthens Malaysia's position as a new powerhouse in the regional arena of deaf sports.

Yesterday, the Pulo Gadung GOR hall witnessed a thrilling badminton match when the mixed doubles pair of Edmund Teo Seng Keong-Boon Wei Ying defeated the home pair of Christian Agustinus Abas-Dzakiyya Amalia Ma'ruf to seal the national contingent's 16th gold medal.

The Malaysian pair's 21-7, 26-24 victory ensured the contingent achieved the official target of 16 gold medals earlier than expected.

This historic campaign draws to a close tonight with the closing ceremony.

-- BERNAMA