KUALA LUMPUR: At a glance, goalball players are just like a kungfu master fighting with his eyes blindfolded.
The players are no different - competing with their eyes covered, relying solely on their hearing senses to attack and defend.
And the national team proved that they are one of the best at the Kuala Lumpur Asean Para Games after downing defending champions Thailand 13-7 in the group stage of the competition at the Malaysia International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC) today.
It was definitely a huge morale boost for the team, which is captained by Husnaini Samsudin, in their quest for a maiden gold medal in the sport.
"For those who are visually impaired, you have to be sharp with your hearing (in general). So for us, goalball is not a problem," said Husnaini, who has represented the country since 2007.
The national team had also secured comfortable wins against Philippines (11-1) and Indonesia (10-0) today.
They will face Myanmar and Cambodia in their remaining group matches tomorrow and team manager Datuk Kamarudin Hasan is optimistic of their chances.
"We want to break Thailand's dominance in this competition especially as we lost to them in the final before (2015).
"I believe this win has given us the confidence and the determination to succeed."
Translated from Berita Harian