The Stars Of The Games

Ooi Tze Liang and his Malaysian diving team-mates pose after emerging as the top nation in diving at the Myanmar SEA Games with a clean sweep of eight gold medals.

NAYPYITAW: There were many winners from Malaysia in the recently concluded 27th SEA Games in Myanmar. Some were expected to do well, while others produced great performances that surprised us. Here's a look at some who made an impression during the 11-day Games.


WUSHU
Schoolgirl Phoon Eyin came to Myanmar as a nobody but she left as a star after securing Malaysia’s historical 1,000th gold medal of the Games.

The 17-year-old Eyin, who sat for the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) examinations last month, gave an outstanding performance to score 9.67 points to become a surprise winner in the women’s qiangshu (spear).

She has a bright future and the Malaysian Wushu Federation (MWF) will be banking on her to deliver the gold in the Asian Games in Incheon in September.

Eyin is still young and is eligible to compete in at least four more SEA Games.

ATHLETICS

Burly teenager Mohd Irfan Shamsuddin created a big surprise by rewriting his national record five times in six throws en route to winning the men’s discus gold. The 18-year-old improved his national record from 50.77m to 53.16m. His previous national record of 49.90m was set in last month’s Brunei Open.

Irfan also earned a berth in next year’s Under-19 World Junior Championships in Oregon, the United States, in July. The qualifying mark for the championships is 51.50m.

DIVING

Ooi Tze Liang’s campaign did not start well as he had to settle for the silver behind team-mate Mohd Nazreen in the individual 10m platform final. But the 20-year-old Penangite, in his second Games appearance, recovered to become the most successful Malaysian athlete at these Games with three golds.

He emerged tops in the springboard individual, synchro 3m springboard with Ahmad Amsyar Azman and the 10m platform synchro with Nazreen.

KARATE

Lim Chee Wei put up a superb performance to beat his three opponents with identical 5-0 scores en route to the individual kata gold.

The 22-year-old Penangite also partnered Leong Tze Wai and Emmanuel Leong Theng Keong to beat Myanmar’s Min Hein Khant, Ko Kyaw Kyaw and Aung Song Mie 4-1 to win the kata team gold.

It was a fantastic month for Chee Wei, having bagged two bronzes in the kata individual and team events in the Asian Championships in Dubai early this month.

MUAY

Mohd Faizal Ramli was not expected to win as he was up against Myanmar’s Aung Myint Win in the 75kg final. But he stunned Myint Win to win Malaysia’s 43rd and final gold. It was a sensational win for Faizal as he strolled to a 3-0 victory to silence the partisan home crown.

It was a grand outing for the Malaysian muay team as they won two golds. Mohd Lokman Akimi Mat Roji was the other hero, clinching gold in the 51kg class with a comprehensive 3-0 win over Vietnam’s Nguyen Ngo Trieu Nhat.