KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah United Tobilung Association (Tobisa) Dance Group bagged several medals and awards during this year's Dance World Cup (DWC) in Offenburg, Germany.
Once again representating Malaysia in the competition, Tobisa triumphed over 4,000 dancers from 40 countries to claim top positions in several categories.
Notably, the 10-member of the dance troupe earned a gold medal for the Dance Impact category and was chosen for the Chairman's Choice Award during the event, held from June 24 to July 1.
Matinin Sungkin, 17, bagged a gold medal in the Junior Solo category and Mohamad Farihin Abdulah, 11, brought home bronze for the Children Solo.
"I am quite satisfied with what we have achieved here.
“There were actually many other categories that we did not have time to practice for, but we consistently earned top 10 positions for most of them," said Tobisa head coach and choreographer Mohd Hairul Nazmie.
Tobisa's success comes on the heels of an impressive list of achievements in recent years on the international stage.
This year marks the fourth consecutive time that the troupe entered the DWC finals, starting from 2014. They won a total of five gold medals, four silver medals, and six bronze medals in the past three finals alone.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Abdul Rahman Dahlan, in a congratulatory post on social media, said Tobisa's achievement is another testament to the state's ability to produce icons.
"Earlier Sihajwan Idek, fellow Kota Belud citizen, also made Malaysia proud by becoming a finalist in Guru Global a few months ago.
"The Kota Belud parliamentary office will always provide support in the effort to produce more Sihajwans and Matinins, so that we can inspire our youths to be among the best in the world," said the Kota Belud Member of Parliament.