Malaysia grabs gold in men's regu sepak takraw

PALEMBANG: WHAT a fightback it was, as Malaysia made a superb recovery from being one game down and trailing 11-17 in the second game in the men's regu final to beat Indonesia 18-21, 22-20, 21-11 to end a 24-year-gold medal drought in the Asian Games sepak takraw event in Palembang today.

At the Ranau Hall in the Jakabaring Sports City, national head coach Abdul Talib Ahmad had fielded the first regu of Mohammad Shahir Mohd Rosdi (tekong), Farhan Adam and Mohamad Azlan Alias, who showed nerves of steel to overcome the hosts after more than an hour of thrilling action.

The last time Malaysia triumphed in sepaktakraw was also in the men's regu competition in Hiroshima, Japan, but that was back in 1994.

This time around, Malaysia stood a good chance to get the gold in the absence of powerhouse Thailand, who did not participate.

The sepaktakraw win earned the fourth gold for the Malaysian contingent, and it was a much-needed one with just five days of competition remaining at the Asiad.

The Malaysian contingent needs to hit the seven-gold target set for them, and the gritty win by the sepaktakraw regu keeps that hope alive, especially in view of the strong prospects of gold in the remaining cycling, sailing and squash events.

Malaysia's gold medal victories were achieved in the women's individual squash from Nicol David, with the bowlers contributing two in the women's trios (Esther Cheah, Siti Safiyah Amirah Abdul Rahman and Syaidatul Afifah Badrul Hamidi) and Rafiq Ismail in the men's Masters.