Malaysia aiming for Asiad gold

by Lim Teik Huat, The Star on 9 Jul 2014 Malaysian sailors underlined their intention to strike at the Asian Games in September by winning two golds, three silvers and three bronzes for their best-ever performance at the Asian Sailing Championships in Incheon, South Korea. Mohd Faizal Norizan and Ahmad Shukri Aziz, who won the Myanmar SEA Games gold last December, continued their dominating form to triumph in the Men’s 420 class while Dhiahuddin Rozaini clinched the boys’ Optimist title.

Noraisyah Jamil and Umi Norwahida Sallahuddin could have won a third gold for Malaysia, but they fumbled with two successive fourth places in the Women’s 420 and eventually settled for the silver.

SEA Games champion Khairulnizam Afendy (Laser Standard) and Nur Amirah Hamid (Laser Radial) accounted for the other two silvers.
The bronzes came from Khairunneeta Afendy (Laser Radial), Ahmad Latif Khan (Laser Standard) and Nornabila Natasha Nadsri (girls’ Optimist).

The 16th edition of the regatta was held at the Wangsan Sailing Marina, serving as a test event for the Asian Games from Sept 19-Oct 4.
Malaysian Yachting Association (MYA) manager Mohd Afendy Abdullah was delighted with the team’s performances.

'We started preparing for the Asian Championships immediately after returning from the SEA Games. Our sailors handled the sea conditions very well in Incheon. Hopefully, this is a good sign of things to come when they compete in the Asiad,' said Afendy.

At the last Games in Guangzhou, China, in 2010, Malaysia could only manage two silvers through Ahmad Latif (Boys’ Optimist) and Khairunnisa-Norashikin Sayed (Women’s 420) while Ku Anas Ku Zamil-Mohd Hafizzudin Mazelan contributed a bronze in the Men’s 420.

www.thestar.com.my