True star: Qabil Ambak wins Malaysia's first gold in equestrian at the Asian Games.
PETALING JAYA: After trying for the last 25 years, perseverance paid off for seasoned Asian Games campaigner Qabil Ambak as he delivered a historic gold medal for Malaysia in equestrian.
The 43-year-old, making his sixth Asian Games outing, finally captured the elusive gold medal in the sport when he won the individual dressage competition at Tong Lu Equestrian Centre today.
Qabil was the third last competitor to start in the final field of 15 riders and went to the top with 75.780 points.
It was a career best performance and his score held against the next two competitors to come.
Hong Kong's Jacqueline Siu, the winner at the last Asiad in Indonesia in 2018, settled for silver with 73.450 points.
India's Agarwalla Anus took bronze with 73.030 points.
It is the eighth career Asian Games medal for Qabil and the most precious one as it is the first-ever gold medal for Malaysia in equestrian.
Qabil has previously won three silvers and four bronzes since his Asiad debut in Bangkok in 1998.
