SUKMA 2024: Another Games Record Shot Down As Kelantan Rake In First Gold

By Vikneswaran Raman

KUCHING, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- A second Games record was shot down today - one day after the 2024 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) officially began.

Pahang sharpshooter Cheah Zen Hong scored 576 points en route to breaking the 12-year-old Games mark in the men’s 10-metre (m) air pistol event at the Sarawak Shooting Range here.

It erased the old mark of 574 points set by his senior, Abdul Hadi Abdul Malik at SUKMA 2012.

Yesterday, another shooter, Gan Chen Jie of Negeri Sembilan clinched the women’s 50-metre (m) Rifle 3 Positions individual gold medal with a score of 574 points, eclipsing the old SUKMA record of 569 points set by Perak’s Nurul Syafani Nabilah Abdul Razak at the 2022 edition.

More Games and national records are expected to fall once athletics and swimming get underway tomorrow.

Meanwhile, Eidelweiss Franzel Francey Sami ended Sarawak’s 24-year gold medal drought in karate when she won the kumite women’s individual 68-kilogramme (kg) and above category at Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN) in Miri.

The 18-year-old created history after overcoming Terengganu’s Mirza Amirah Syuhada Mohd Faizal 8-6 in the final bout.

Kelantan finally ended their SUKMA 2024 gold medal wait when A. Vijiyaraj emerged triumphant in the men’s 75kg kumite event by defeating Johor’s S. Pavithran Pillai in the final.

So far, Kelantan have also raked in a silver and eight bronzes, with all their medals coming from martial arts sports - karate, taekwondo, wushu and muay thai. 

As of the end of today, Sarawak top the medal tally with a haul of 23 golds, 14 silvers and 15 bronzes, followed by the Federal Territories (15-15-26), Terengganu (10-10-12) and Melaka (8-6-10).

A whopping 59 gold medals will be at stake tomorrow (Aug 19), with aquatics offering 10 (eight from swimming and two from diving) and athletics nine.

-- BERNAMA