MALAYSIA won five gold, seven silver and two bronze in the Asia Bowls Championships for Disabled Athletes, which ended at the Bukit Kiara Lawn Bowls Arena yesterday.
South Korea were crowned the overall champions with a haul of 7-3-4, followed by Hong Kong (3-4-3).
There were no fans except for the VIPs during the prize presentation ceremony yesterday.
The Arena was engulfed in thick haze, but still, the special athletes enjoyed themselves with a ‘joget’ performance from the officials after a week of hard work, made harder by the choking smog.
Rattna Azizah Idris (polio) and Suraya Hamzani (cerebral palsy) were among Malaysia’s gold medal winners. The duo won the women’s pairs event.
“I never expected to win gold, but a good combination with Suraya made it worthwhile in the haze,” said Rattna, who also won the singles silver.
Both Rattna and Suraya only trained together for three days before the tournament.
Malaysia will host the tournament again in 2021.
Malaysia’s gold medallists — Men’s singles: Shuhairi Shahalil; Pairs: Syamil FauziShuhairi Shahalil; Women’s singles: Asmaliza Awang Tuah; Pairs: Rattna Aizah Idris-Suraya Hamzani; Singles (Open): Hasmunira Maliki.