Page 247 - Westport Guide To Malaysia

THE GUIDE TO MALAYSIA 239
popular in Malaysia’s Thai-influenced northern states, is rapidly growing
in popularity as a sport
in its own right and as
a component of Mixed Martial Arts, which is enjoying a similar boom. Malaysia dominates Karate in the region, finishing
top of the medal table at the 2017 Southeast Asia Games and 3rd in the all- time Asian Games table. Syakilla Salni Jefry Krisna achieved the World No 1 ranking in women’s kumite under 55kg and Madhuri Poovanesan was ranked World No 1 (Under 21) under 50kg in 2019. Malaysia has been prominent in Taekwondo since the heyday of multiple gold medalist Sarah Chung in the 1990s and Malaysians have since won multiple medals at the Asian Games and finished second in the medal table at the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.
Motor Sports
Motor sports have been popular in Malaysia since the first motor vehicles arrived in the country. Sepang International Circuit (see page 242) is
the leading motorsports venue, with its Formula One circuit, hosting the Malaysian MotoGP, FIM Asian Grand Prix, ENI
FIM Superbike World Championship and the FIM World Touring Car Cup. The national hall of fame
Women’s Karate under 50kg Kumite Gold medallist Madhuri Poovanesan competes in an elimimation bout during the 2019 SEA Games. Inset: Prem Kumar won the Men’s under 55kg Kumite at the same event.
includes: Karamjit Singh, the first Asian driver to
win the Production Car World Rally Championship 2002; Alex Yoong the first Malaysian Formula One driver (2001-2 season); and Hafizh Syahrin Abdullah, the first Southeast Asian to compete in MotoGP.
Netball
Netball is promoted widely in schools and the national team has an impressive track record, winning two golds each in the Asian Netball Championship and Southeast Asian Games.
They have a highest finish of 11th in the Netball World Championships.
Paralympic Sports
The country has made stunning progress in sports for disabled athletes since the Paralympic Council of Malaysia was formed in 1989. Malaysian athletes have delivered 6 gold, 4 silver and 6 bronze medals at the Summer Paralympics and five have set world records in their respective disciplines, with Abdul Latif Romly breaking the T20 long jump world record 3 times on the same day to win Malaysia’s third gold
at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Abdul Latif became the first Malaysian to defend his Paralympic title,