Close call for judges in choice for the Sportsboy award

PAHANG's “Mr Hercules” Zulkifli Che Ros was the surprise pick of the Sukma Supreme Council panel for the Kedah Sukma Best Sportsboy Award. 

But there was no surprise for the Sportsgirl award with Negri Sembilan swimmer Lew Yih Wey winning it for her outstanding performances in the six-day competition. 

Swimmer Lee Way Joe, shooter Omar Sheriff Mohd Sheriff and gymnast Kwan Yao Xuen were also in the running for the award. 

Way Joe, who is studying in the Bolles School in Florida, bagged seven gold medals for Penang while Omar Sheriff ruled for Selangor at the shooting range with a five-gold performance in the pistol competition. 

Selangor's Yao Xuen claimed a record in Sukma gymnastics, bagging seven of a possible eight in the boys' artistic competition. 

However, Zulkifli was considered the more worthy winner over others because of his achievement in smashing all three Sukma records in the 77kg category. 

The 21-year-old Zulkifli displayed great consistency in his lifts even though he moved to a lower weight category of competition this time. 

At the last Games in Seremban in 2004, he won all three gold medals in the 85kg category with record-breaking lifts. 

This time in the 77kg competition, Zulkifli lifted six kilogrammes heavier than the previous record in the snatch (126kg) and he bettered the record in clean and jerk by 10kg (165kg). 

The panel also took consideration the fact that his winning attempts were not far off the national record in the same category set by Mohd Hidayat Hamidon in 2003. 

Hidayat lifted 130.5kg in the snatch and 170kg in the clean and jerk. 

As for Yih Wey, her performances in the pool certainly set her apart from rest.  

The 15-year-old, who did not even win a single medal in Seremban two years ago, single-handedly delivered all the medals in aquatics for Negri Sembilan. 

She clinched nine gold medals and set seven new meet records, one of which was a national mark. 

Yih Wey also picked up two bronzes in the 100m distances of breaststroke and freestyle. 

She made the biggest splash by emerging victorious in all middle and long distance races (100m and 200m backstroke; 200m and 400m individual medleys; 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle; 200m butterfly and 200m breaststroke). 

The highlight of her efforts was in the second day of competition on May 25 when she clocked 2:19.18 in the 200m backstroke to slice more than four seconds off Sia Wai Yen's national mark of 2:23.46, set in the Asian Championships in Busan in 2000. 

Wai Yen had set the national record to earn a ticket to the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.