Page 248 - Westport Guide To Malaysia

240 THE SPORTING LIFE
World record holder Abdul Latif Romly on his way to winning the Men’s Long Jump T20 Final in the 9th Para Asean Games, National Stadium KLSC, September 2017.
Sepak Takraw
Sepak takraw, a form of kick volleyball played by teams of 3 with a woven rattan ball, has been played in Malaysia since the 15th century Malacca Sultanate. It is thrilling, dynamic, spectator friendly and
one of the fastest growing sports in the world. The Malaysian men’s team is ranked number two and the women’s team number three in the ISTAF World Rankings.
Squash
Malaysian Squash is synonymous with Nicol David, acknowledged as the Greatest Woman Player Of All Time by the Professional Squash Association (PSA). She won the World Junior Championship twice and from August 2006, she was the world number
one player for a record- breaking 108 consecutive months, winning a
record eight World Open Championships and five British Opens. Only her retirement in 2019 ended her 14 year 9 month unbroken run in the world top 20. But Malaysian squash is not a one- woman show; Ong Beng Hee attained the men’s number 7 world ranking
in 2001 and Mohd Azlan Iskandar reached the men’s world top 10 in 2011. The men's national team has reached the quarter finals of the World Team Championship six times
taking gold at the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.
The 2020 Paralympics produced Malaysia’s most impressive performance; along with Abdul Latif, Bonnie Bunyau Gistin won the men’s 70kg powerlifting gold with a new world record of 228kg while Cheah Liek Hou became Malaysia’s first Paralympic badminton champion with the men’s singles SU5 gold. Reinforcing Malaysia’s powerful presence in powerlifting, Jong Yee Khie delivered silver in the men’s 107kg with a personal best of 237kg, while Chew Wei Lun achieved Malaysia’s
first boccia medal, with a hard-fought silver in the mixed individual BC1.
Rugby (Union)
Rugby is a popular team sport in Malaysia, with over 40,000 registered players, 300-plus clubs and 600- plus schools involved in
the game. The Malaysian national team is currently ranked 49th internationally and 6th in Asia in the IRB World Rankings. They have not yet qualified for the Rugby World Cup but are making steady progess, winning the Southeast Asian Games Rugby Sevens gold medal in 2017.