LUNDU: The Sarawak men’s kabaddi team successfully defended their bronze medal at the 21st Malaysia Games (Sukma) by narrowly defeating Perak in the third-place match, 38-36.
Despite trailing 16-20 in the first half, Sarawak displayed remarkable resilience, coming back to win the second half 22-16, ensuring they secured a place on the podium.
One of the team members, Abdul Kharlman Abdul Khalid, shared his happiness at not returning empty-handed after more than a year of hard training.
He also thanked the Sarawak government for their support in promoting kabaddi, a traditional sport that has now been officially recognised in Sukma.
Meanwhile, head coach Muhammad Syukran Wahab expressed satisfaction with the team’s performance, acknowledging that while their main goal was the gold medal, securing bronze for a second consecutive time was still a commendable achievement.
“Our primary target this year was to bring home the gold medal, but luck was not on our side.
“Nevertheless, we managed to maintain our position in third place, just like in 2022,” he said when met by reporters after the match at Dewan Masyarakat Lundu, today (Aug 23).
Earlier in the day, Sarawak’s bid for the final was cut short after a narrow 38-40 loss to the Federal Territories in the semi-finals.
Despite leading 18-13 at halftime, the Federal Territories staged a comeback, winning the second half 27-20.
The kabaddi event, which included both men and women’s team categories, saw the Federal Territories claim both gold medals, while Selangor took home two silver.
