KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 18 — The Malaysian athletics team made a fruitful harvest on the first day of track and field events of the 9th Asean Para Games (APG) by winning six gold medals at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil, here today.
Rio Paralympics (2016) bronze medal winner Siti Noor Radiah Ismail set the tone for a fruitful harvest at the National Stadium by winning the women’s T20 long jump gold with a distance of 4.99m ahead of another Malaysian Nani Shahiera Zawawi who managed 4.78m for the silver while Indonesia’s Tiwa settled for the bronze with a jump of 4.66m.
Young sprinter Eddy Bernard,16, swept to gold in the men’s 100m T37 (coordination impairments) with a time of 12.45s ahead of fellow Malaysian Jacklon Ganding (12.48s) and Le Van Manh from Vietnam who clocked 12.68s for the bronze.
Muhamad Afiq Mohamad Ali contributed Malaysia’s third gold from the men’s 100m T12 en route to beating two Thai runners — Chaiya Som-Dech and Wongngoen Amnat — after clocking 11.45s while Faridul Masri contributed the fourth gold of the day from the men’s F56 javelin with a throw of 28.86m, beating Vietnam’s Trinh Cong Luan (24.2m) by a good 4m while Hirdan Abdul Kadi from Brunei took the bronze with a distance of (22.17m).
Middle distance runner Siti Noor Lasah Mohamad Ariffin made it five after winning the women’s 800m T20 with a time of 2 minutes 34.12 seconds in a 1-2 finish for Malaysia as Maswinah Suanang took the silver with a time of 2:41.24s ahead of Thailand’s Phoophaploy Wipha who finished a distant third (3:01.80s).
The sixth gold medal of the day came through Hemala Dewi from the women’s F12 discus who hurled the discus 32.46m, a good 8m further than second placed Nor Hensan Mata from Brunei (24m) while another Malaysia, Noor Kalsum Fadil, won the bronze with a throw of (18.46m).
Thailand, however, were the big winner on the first day of track and field competitions by sweeping nine of the 21 gold medals at stake while Indonesia also won six gold medals. — Bernama
