Nafiizwan wins historic bronze but Nicol finishes empty handed

Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (left) reaches for a shot against Wales' Joel Makin in the bronze medal playoff. - GLENN GUAN / The Star

GOLD COAST: Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan won a historic bronze medal at the Commonwealth Games after beating Welshman Joel Makin in the playoff.

No Malaysian man has ever won a medal in men's singles at the Games with former world No. 10 Mohd Azlan Iskandar coming closest with a fourth placed finish at the 2010 New Delhi Games.

And national No. 1 Nafiizwan certainly stepped up when mattered most as he downed Makin 11-7, 6-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-5 in a gruelling match that lasted 81 minutes.

"This is the biggest match that I have ever played," said a delighted world No. 35 who had delivered the upset of the tournament when he knocked out defending champion and top seed Nick Matthew of England in the quarter-finals.

"It's a great feeling, especially when playing for Malaysia. It's not just for me...it's also for my support team and this win is not just about one man."

Nafiizwan's impressive achievement certainly made up for the earlier disappointment when Nicol David finished empty handed.

The eight-time world champion, playing in her last Commonwealth Games, couldn't get the better of Wales' Tesni Evans as she lost 7-11, 11-3, 10-12, 7-11.

It is a sad end for the world No. 9 who is playing in her sixth Games.

"I would have loved a medal but this is what it is and I gave it everything I had," said the Penangite.