Beach Volleyball: Penang Gear Up For SUKMA With Touch Of Thai Flavour

BALIK PULAU, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- The Penang beach volleyball team recently crossed over to Thailand for a five-day training stint at the Samila Beach in Songkhla to boost their medal hopes at the 21st Malaysia Games (SUKMA).

The team, who were in Thailand from Aug 5-9, are banking their medal hopes on four men’s and four women’s players, including national spikers 17-year-old Nur Auni Maisarah Shamsulrizal and her 20-year-old partner Fawizah Aina Ahmad Nizar.

Team manager Muhammad Noor Aizuddin Omar said the players have been undergoing intensive training for the past three months as they hope to gun for the medals at the biennial Games, which will begin in Sarawak on Saturday (Aug 17).

“They also took part in several national-level tournaments, with the women’s team winning gold in two of them, the Negeri Sembilan Beach Volleyball Open Championship and the Beach Volleyball Open Championship in Desaru, Johor,” he told Bernama when met after the team’s training session at the Teluk Bahang Beach here.

In addition to Nur Auni and Fawiah Aina, the Penang beach volleyball team also comprise Noor Aishah Iskandar, 19, and Nur Adrieanna Safieya Azhar, 16 (women’s team); as well as Muhammad Afizal Adnan, 17, Adam Danish Zamri Abdullah, 16; Muhammad Hafiz Azmi,19, and Muhammad Fariez Suhaimi, 18 (men’s squad).

Meanwhile, coach Bun Lai said they also stressed the players’ nutrition and stamina ahead of the Games, adding that Nur Auni and Fawizah Aina are their big hopes for the gold medal while the combination of Noor Aishah and Nur Adrienna Safieya are expected to fight for silver or bronze based on their current form and performances.  

“As for our men, we are sending them to SUKMA for the first time. So, I hope it will provide them with the exposure and experience they need to become better. Although they are the underdogs, they could spring a surprise or two and we hope they can at least reach the semi-finals… that would be quite an achievement,” said the coach.

Nur Auni, who will be making her SUKMA debut, is confident she and Fawizah Aina can deliver the goods thanks to her experience.

“Feeling a little nervous but also quite excited. Armed with our experience, and the guidance of our coach, we hope to give our best,” said Nur Auni, who has been playing beach volleyball for the past years.

Noor Aishah and Nur Adrienna, who will be competing in their second SUKMA outing but teaming up for the first time, are optimistic about their chances of delivering a medal as they have forged quite a good understanding over the past year.

The players will leave for Sarawak today as beach volleyball will held at the Union Yes Retreat in Lundu from Aug 17-23.   

At the previous edition, the Penang women’s beach volleyball team returned home with a silver medal.

-- BERNAMA