Sarawak confirmed as Para Sukma XXI overall champion

KUCHING (Sept 27): Sarawak have wrested the Malaysia Para Games (Para Sukma) overall champions title from Sabah on the penultimate day of this year’s edition.

Sarawak confirmed the title after raking in 82 golds, 51 silvers and 72 bronzes as of 7.30pm today, with Sabah, the defending champions, in second spot with a haul of 62-42-31.

Nine gold medals will be up for grabs in lawn bowls tomorrow before the curtain comes down on the biennial Games.

On Day Five of the Games today, Sarawak snapped up 11 golds, two silvers and 11 bronzes while Sabah hauled in seven golds, five silvers and six bronzes.

The Land of the Hornbills, however, are not done yet as they are still chasing the 83-gold target set for their 213-athlete contingent (143 men and 70 women).

Meanwhile, Minister of Women, Childhood, and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah when contacted confirmed this, saying that even if the closest competitor, Sabah, sweeps all the remaining gold now, Sarawak would still be in the lead.

“Now we just have to cheer for our ten pin bowling and lawn bowls para athletes to win at least two more gold medals to achieve our 83-gold target,” she said.

Sarawak have been a dominant force in the Para Sukma, having emerged as overall champions 13 consecutive times from the 1994 edition in Johor until the 2018 edition in Perak.

The biennial Games were previously known as the Malaysian National Games for the Disabled (1982-1996) and the Malaysian Paralympic Games (1998-2016).

In the 2022 edition in Kuala Lumpur, Sabah emerged as the overall champions for the first time after winning 54 golds, 36 silvers and 35 bronzes, compared to Sarawak’s haul of 50-47-49.

Over 1,200 athletes from 15 states took part in Para Sukma 2024, with athletics being the main gold mine offering 132 gold medals, followed by swimming (60); powerlifting and chess (24 each); bowling (20); lawn bowls (19); table tennis (15); archery (14); badminton (12); and boccia (8).

The closing ceremony is scheduled to begin at 8.30pm at the Unity Stadium, where the winners of the Para Sukma 2024 Best Male Athlete and Best Female Athlete will be announced. – Bernama