Pahang Top Gun Cheah Hopes To Seal Final SUKMA Appearence By Striking Gold

KUANTAN, May 6 (Bernama) -- Pahang male shooter Cheah Zen Hong is determined to give his best performance at the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in Selangor, which he describes as his final appearance in the biggest multi-sport event in the country.

The 20-year-old shooter said that his preparations are currently at a maximum level to ensure he can achieve positive results in this edition.

"I will do the best I can for my final SUKMA and hope to achieve extraordinary results," he said when met by reporters at the Pahang Sports Awards 2023/2024 ceremony at the Sultan Ahmad Shah Silver Jubilee Hall here, yesterday.

He, along with Pahang female shooter Sayyeda Khadeeja Mohammad Anis Fadhli, were crowned as the 2023/2024 Pahang Promising Sportsman and Promising Sportswoman, respectively.

At the same time, Cheah expressed his gratitude for the recognition received following his success in bringing honour to the country and the state of Pahang.

"This recognition makes me more motivated to keep fighting and achieve greater success in the future," sai the gold medal winner in the men's 10m Air Pistol individual and team events at the SUKMA 2024.

He added that breaking his own record was one of his personal targets for the Games, as well as two other competitions.

"I will just do my best, so if on that day (SUKMA 2026) I can also break the record, it would be a very proud achievement for me," said Cheah who is scheduled to participate in several international championships before SUKMA 2026, including the 2026 Shooting World Cup in Munich, Germany, this month, followed by the Southeast Asian Shooting Championships (SEASA) in Taiwan.

Meanwhile, Sayyeda Khadeeja, who has recently recovered from a recurrent tendon injury sustained over the last two years, said her focus is now entirely directed towards facing SUKMA 2026 and the 2027 SEA Games in Sarawak.

"The injury happened during training and was quite bad before, but Alhamdulillah (praise be to God), it is getting better now. I am still in the recovery process," she said.

SUKMA 2026 is scheduled to take place from August 15 to 24.

-- BERNAMA