KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 16 – Malaysia won its first gold medal from ‘chinlone linking’ which was also the first Kuala Lumpur 2017 SEA Games gold medal today. In the final match at the Titiwangsa Indoor Stadium here, the national chinlone squad which was led by Muhammad Faiz Roslan performed like heroes to grab the gold by collecting 391 points to beat the Philippines which had 271 points.
Malaysia played with full energy right from the start amassing 376 points followed by the Philippines with 293 and Brunei 157. This enabled Mohd Yusoff Abdullah’s wards to advance to the final to face the Philippines. Brunei walked away with the bronze medal in the competition participated by the three nations.
Besides Muhammad Faiz, the chinlone squad that brought glory to the country today included Mohammad Kamal Aizat Azmi, Ab Muhaimi Che Bongsu, Putera Aidil Israfi Kamaruzaman, Muhamad Asyraaf Abd Hadi, Izuan Afendi Azlan, Mohd Nazuha Mohd Nadzli and Iskandar Zulkarnain Salim.
The game of chinlone requires skill and the ability to balance the ‘takraw’ ball according to the discipline based on the category concerned and played by six players in a team in a circle. The national chinlone squad will play in three other categories namely the non-repetition primary, same stroke and non-repetition event secondary. — Bernama
