Five golds the goal for Malaysia in Glasgow

Roadmap to glory: Youth and Sports Minister Taufiq Johari interacting with several wheelchair basketball players. — FAIHAN GHANI/The Star

PETALING JAYA: Malaysia’s return to setting a specific medal target for this year’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow is part of the country’s long-term preparations for hosting the 2027 SEA Games.

The contingent are targeting five gold medals, along with two silvers and four bronzes, at the Games from July 23-Aug 2. The NSC director general Jefri Ngadirin said the approach was endorsed during board of management meetings chaired by Youth and Sports Minister Taufiq Johari.

“We want to give the contingent and the athletes a clear KPI and understanding of what they are expected to achieve,” said Jefri. “Last year, we also announced our targets of finishing overall champions at the 2027 SEA Games and runners-up at the 2027 Asian Para Games.

“We’ve been monitoring the athletes’ progress since last year through the Jaya Cemerlang (Jacom) programme. Every month, our high-performance and para sports divisions track our athletes’ performances against their rivals ahead of the Commonwealth Games.

“National sports associations, coaches and athletes have also shared the targets they believe they can achieve with chef de mission Datuk Awalan Abdul Aziz,” said Jefri.

Jefri is confident Malaysia can still mount a strong challenge despite the absence of badminton and diving, which have traditionally been among the country’s biggest gold medal contributors at the Commonwealth Games.

Although Malaysia will send a relatively small contingent of 59 athletes to compete in eight of the 10 sports in Glasgow, the team will still feature three world champions, lawn bowls’ Emma Firyana Saroji, para athletics star Datuk Abdul Latif Romly and powerlifting ace Bonnie Bunyau Gustin.

The change in approach came after Malaysia fell short of their target at the 2023 SEA Games in Cambodia.

“The situation is different at the SEA Games because 52% of the contingent are first-time athletes. At the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games, we are dealing with athletes who are more experienced and accustomed to handling pressure.

“The athletes have also made their own targets clear. Datuk Azizulhasni Awang has stated what he wants to achieve, and so has Shah Firdaus Sahrom,” added Jefri.