Asian Games: Not an ideal start for national contingent
HANGZHOU - The Malaysian contingent did not have an ideal start to the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games after missing out of several prospective medals today.
Former world wushu champion Wong Weng Son missed out on providing Malaysia its first medal of the Games, finishing a dismal 13th out of 14 competitors in the men’s changquan event.
The disappointment followed as Sydney Chin made her Asian Games debut by scoring her personal best of 19.460 points in the women’s taijiquan+taijijian event but failed to secure even the bronze, losing by a difference of 0.016 points to Chen Suijin of Hong Kong (19.476 points).
Fellow Asian Games debutant, taekwondo exponent Nurul Hidayah Abdul Karim had to fight back tears of disappointment when she failed to qualify for the semifinals, which automatically guaranteed at least a bronze medal, by the narrowest of margins - 0.03 points - to former world champion Marjan Salahshouri of Iran in the quarterfinals.
The Malaysian camp lodged a protest over what they alleged was an error by the Iranian, but the result still stood.
The first day was not without its highlights, as other Malaysian athletes excelled in their events, including artistic gymnast Muhammad Sharul Aimy Kamaru Hisam, who took six place in the qualifying rounds and confirmed a spot in the men’s vault final this Friday.
The men’s hockey squad also started off on the right foot, trashing Thailand 9-0 in their opening Group B match as they look to winning the gold medal and qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, while the Malaysian e-sports team, competing in the Arena Of Valor (AOV) game event also booked their semi-final berth against Vietnam tomorrow by beating Hong Kong 2-0.
Hosts China, as expected, blazed ahead in the medal tally with a haul of 20 gold, seven silver and three bronze, leaving rivals South Korea (5-4-5) and Japan (2-7-5) a distant second and third respectively.
The Malaysian contingent will continue their campaign tomorrow in the sports of wushu, swimming, shooting, e-sports and boxing, while the women’s hockey squad as well as the men’s and women’s 3x3 basketball teams will begin their group matches. - BERNAMA
