APG 2025: Malaysia Emerges Among Region’s Top Contenders

From Farah Najihah Zuraimi

NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Jan 27 (Bernama) — Last night's official closing of the ASEAN Para Games (APG) Thailand 2025 underscored a clear reality: the performances of Malaysia’s athletes throughout the Games have placed the country among the region’s leading contenders, the result of a combination of systematic implementation, high discipline and long-term planning.

Malaysia’s para contingent wrapped up its campaign with a total haul of 201 medals — comprising 64 gold, 64 silver and 73 bronze — across 17 sports, surpassing the initial targets of 55 gold medals and 181 overall medals set before the Games began.

Malaysia moved up one spot to third place overall amid an increasingly open and competitive landscape now dominated by Thailand as overall champions with 486 medals (175-155-156), followed by Indonesia in second place with 392 medals (135-143-114).

Beyond the numbers, the true value of Malaysia’s campaign was reflected in the balanced spread of medal contributions across multiple sports, highlighting the maturity of its development structure and the effectiveness of technical and tactical execution.

Para athletics emerged as the backbone of the contingent, contributing 20 gold, 22 silver and 23 bronze medals, reaffirming the sport as the primary pillar of Malaysia’s regional strength.

Particular attention was focused on Ivan Jovic Suah, who delivered a high-profile moment by defeating Malaysia’s Paris Paralympics medallist Eddy Bernard to claim the men’s 100 metres (m) T44 and 200m T44 titles, before completing a gold hat-trick in the 400m T44/T63.

The success was reinforced by Paralympic gold medallist Ziyad Zolkefli, 35, who once again delivered gold in the shot put F20, proving that experience and technical sharpness remain relevant amid increasingly intense competition driven by the emergence of a new generation.

In the pool, Malaysian swimmers contributed 13 gold, 20 silver and 22 bronze medals, with Abd Halim Mohammad emerging as the most successful athlete after securing five golds, one silver and one bronze.

The contingent’s overall strength was also reflected in para track cycling, which delivered seven gold medals, followed by tenpin bowling with six golds and para powerlifting with five golds.

Gold contributions also came from para table tennis with four, while para road cycling, boccia and para fencing each delivered two golds.

Para badminton, wheelchair tennis and shooting ensured the contingent’s momentum remained steady, with each contributing a crucial gold medal to the national tally.

Although they did not win gold, medal contributions from para archery, blind football, wheelchair basketball, chess and para judo completed the picture of a contingent operating as a cohesive ecosystem, rather than relying on just one or two sports.

However, this success is no reason to slow down. Instead, it demands sustained preparation ahead of a packed major sporting calendar, beginning with the 2026 Commonwealth Para Games, followed by the 2026 Asian Para Games, before the biggest challenge on the Paralympic stage in 2028 and the responsibility of hosting the ASEAN Para Games 2027 in Malaysia.

— BERNAMA