KUALA LUMPUR — The Malaysian silambam team delivered an outstanding performance, clinching 12 gold medals to emerge as overall champions at the Asian Open Silambam Championship in Qatar yesterday.
Malaysia Silambam Association president M. Suraess praised the six national exponents for their exceptional showing, each securing two gold medals in the ‘thanithiramai’ (individual artistic staff spinning) and ‘poruthal’ (combat) categories at the Doha Sports Complex.
The gold medalists include Prakash in the men’s open above 60kg category; Shastivena in the girls’ under-17 (55kg-65kg) category; as well as Leenasree (30kg-40kg), Kavithira (45kg-55kg), Darnisha (55kg-65kg), and Ranishaa (above 70kg) in the girls’ under-15 category.
Suraess noted that hosts Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) secured second and third place, respectively, in the competition, which also saw participation from India and Saudi Arabia.
“We made history by winning the overall title. Six of our athletes who got medals at the Sarawak Sukma (Malaysian Games) in August, participated,” he said in a statement today.
Adding to the celebration, the Malaysian Ambassador to Qatar, Mohammad Faizal Razali, graced the closing ceremony and presented the overall champions’ trophy, expressing pride in the team’s remarkable success. — December 28, 2024