A Brunei player (R) in action against Kedah during their men's doubles event at SUKMA yesterday. Infofoto
Norhidayatullah Johari being interviewed. She failed to progress to the final of the women's 100m yesterday but has a chance at redeeming herself in the 200m next Saturday. Infofoto
The national sepak takraw team were all smiles after reaching the quarter-finals of the men's doubles event at the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) yesterday.Infofoto
The national sepak takraw team are through to the quarter-finals of the men's doubles event at the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) after winning both their Group B matches yesterday.
They started off with a 2-1 comeback win over Federal Territories to keep their last-eight dreams alive at the Dewan 2020 in Kangar, Perlis. A slow start saw them fall 21-13 in the first set before bouncing back to win the second set 21-17. Brunei continued their resurgence with a 21-12 victory in the deciding set to complete the comeback.
It was the same story in their final group match where they came back from a set down to beat Kedah 2-1. The Sultanate were on the backfoot after falling 21-12 in the first set before they evened things up with a 21-14 win in the second set.
The team then sealed their berth in the quarter-finals after a 21-18 win in the final set. They finished runners-up in the group after sharing the same two-one win-loss record as group winners Federal Territories.
The national team - which is made up of Mohd Alliffuddin Jamaludin, Abdul Wasi' Nordin Mohammad Sahrul Nizam Gapar and Mohammad Hazim Mohammad Ali - will face Group C winners Negeri Sembilan in the quarter-finals today.
Over at the Stadium Tuanku Syed Putra in Kangar, Norhidayatullah Johari failed to make it into the final of women's 100m event. She placed third out of five competitors in Heat 2 with a time of 12.87s in the morning to move into the semi-finals.
She then finished seventh out of eight runners with a time of 12.89s in the afternoon. Norhidayatullah was hoping to set a new personal best - but it still remains at 12.42s. The Bruneian will take to the track in the women's 200m event next Saturday, where her best time is 26.04s.
Karateka Md Izzuddin Irfan Md Faizal bagged Brunei's only medal of the tournament at the Kolej Matrikulasi Perlis, Arau on Wednesday. The 19-year-old surprised everyone after defeating Julius Goh of Johor 9-2 in the final of the 84kg and above category. The gold medal means that the Sultanate has improved on its medal haul during its last participation at the Under-21 multi-sport competition.
The 2012 team finished last and were the only ones without a gold or silver after returning home with four bronze medals in Pahang. Brunei have sent a 25-member contingent to compete in five sports - pencak silat and taekwando being the others - in Perlis this year. Terengganu, overall champions in 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012, continue to lead the table having amassed 23 gold, 24 silver and 12 bronze medals.
Federal Territories are the closest contenders with 16 gold, 17 silver and 17 bronze medals. Pahang are third in the standings with 13 gold, 17 silver and 11 bronze medals.
