40 Per Cent Of New Faces Deliver Medals For Malaysia At 2025 SEA Games - MSN
BANGKOK, Dec 20 (Bernama) -- About 40 per cent or 255 out of the 646 new faces competing at the SEA Games Thailand 2025 contributed medals for the country, says National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Jefri Ngadirin.
He said 43 per cent or 178 out of 412 athletes aged below 21 also returned with medals from Thailand at the 33rd edition of the biennial sporting event, which concluded today.
“This shows positive development for us as hosts in 2027 and also for future SEA Games participation,” he said at a press conference summarising the national contingent’s performance at the Thailand 2025 SEA Games here today.
In terms of gold medal haul, the national contingent’s performance this time was also very encouraging, with as many as 28 sports contributing gold medals, the highest record in Malaysia’s participation at the SEA Games so far.
He said the figure was high compared with 15 sports that contributed a total of 34 gold medals at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia and 18 sports contributing 68 gold medals at the 2007 SEA Games in Thailand, which remains the highest gold medal haul achieved outside Malaysia to date.
Jefri also said that 62 per cent or 413 out of the total 663 athletes competing under Category A won medals, while only 28 per cent or 135 out of 475 athletes from Category B managed to reach the podium in Thailand.
All funding for athletes under Category A is borne by the National Sports Council, while Category B athletes are fully funded by their respective associations.
In this regard, Jefri said they would refine the selection criteria for athletes under Category B to ensure they are not merely ‘passengers’ but become medal contributors for the country at future SEA Games.
Meanwhile, he announced national swimmer Khiew Hoe Yean as the country’s best male athlete, while wushu exponent Tan Cheong Min emerged as the best female athlete following their impressive performances at the 2025 SEA Games.
Hoe Yean returned with two gold medals through the men’s 200 metre (m) freestyle and men’s 400m freestyle events, silver with the men’s 4x200m freestyle quartet and bronze in the men’s 4x100m freestyle.
Cheong Min, meanwhile, clinched gold in the combined three-discipline nanquan, nandao and nangun event before helping the national team add to the gold tally in the women’s armed duilian team event.
Meanwhile, Jefri said sepak takraw, judo, athletics, shooting and muay were among the sports that excelled for the country at the Thailand 2025 SEA Games.
He said the achievement of ending a 34-year drought in the men’s team regu event, with the sepak takraw squad defeating Thailand, was among the national contingent’s proudest moments, alongside the sweet success of Amir Daniel Abdul Majeed, who ended the national judo squad’s 44-year wait for a SEA Games gold medal.
He said the seven consecutive editions of gold medal dominance by national discus thrower Muhammad Irfan Shamsuddin deserved recognition, while national shooters set three new Games records and muay won three gold medals, which was also its best achievement outside Kuala Lumpur.
At the same time, Jefri also congratulated Chef de Mission Nurul Huda Abdullah, who successfully managed the contingent well and effectively, helping Malaysia set a new record by collecting 231 medals as of 3.30 pm local time, the highest achievement outside Kuala Lumpur.
-- BERNAMA
