The gold came the hard but the Malaysian men’s triples showed nerves of steel to win the gold in petanque in Clark City on Thursday, defeating Thailand 13-11 in a three-hour battle.
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Mohd Hafizuddin Mat Daud, Syed Ali Syed Fikri and Musmin Saiful Bahri kept their cool to stage a remarkable fightback after trailing 4-9 to the Thais in the early stages.
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The win ended Malaysia’s 18-year wait for the gold, having last won at the 2001 Sea Games held in Kuala Lumpur.
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“It was our mental strength and focus that brought us the long-awaited gold. It means a lot to the team and the country,” said national petanque coach Syed Ali Syed Akil on the team’s win.
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At the last edition of the biennial games in Kuala Lumpur in 2017, Malaysia could only manage the bronze medal.
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Meanwhile, the women’s triples could only manage a silver medal in their event, 4-13 to Cambodia in the final. – BY RIZAL ABDULLAH
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