KUALA LUMPUR: The Paris Olympics, which concluded yesterday after 17 days of intense competition, turned out to be unforgettable for Malaysia.
The nation continued its medal-winning streak, getting two bronze medals through badminton.
As the Games unfolded, several notable accomplishments and talking points emerged.
Timesport reflects on some of the highs and lows, and laudable moments involving the Malaysian contingent.
HIGH
ZII JIA'S RESILIENCE IN WINNING BADMINTON BRONZE
In his men's singles bronze medal match against India's Lakshya Sen, Lee Zii Jia's prospects initially looked dim. For the first 30 minutes, he struggled as Lakshya claimed the opening game 21-13 and built an 8-3 lead in the second.
However, the tide turned dramatically when Zii Jia won nine consecutive points, seizing control of the match. From that point on, he never relinquished his lead, and completed his remarkable comeback, winning 13-21, 21-16, 21-11.
Zii Jia became only the third Malaysian to reach the men's singles podium, following in the footsteps of Rashid Sidek (bronze, Barcelona 1992) and Lee Chong Wei (silver, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016).
AARON-WOOI YIK'S EPIC BRONZE MEDAL BATTLE
Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik achieved their second consecutive Olympic podium finish in a match remembered as one of the greatest battles since badminton's inclusion in the Olympics in 1992.
Facing Denmark's second-seeded Kim Astrup-Anders Skaarup Rasmussen, the Malaysian pair initially struggled. After dropping the first game, they were on the brink of defeat, trailing 20-16 in the second.
However, Aaron-Wooi Yik mounted a remarkable comeback, saving four match points and reeling off six consecutive points to claim the second game.
In the third game, they built a healthy six-point lead, yet the drama wasn't over. Astrup-Rasmussen staged their own fightback, even claiming a late lead at 18-17.
Ultimately, Aaron-Wooi Yik maintained their composure, converting their first match point to secure the bronze medal, 16-21, 22-20, 21-19.
LOW
AZIZULHASNI'S DEVASTATING DISQUALIFICATION IN KEIRIN HEAT
In a cruel twist of fate, the whole nation, and even more so Azizulhasni Awang himself, had to come to terms with his disqualification in the first round heat at the Saint Quentin en Yvelines Velodrome. This shocking outcome came after three years of intense training for this moment.
Drawn sixth behind the derny, Azizulhasni was judged to have overtaken the motorcycle pacer before it left the track, resulting in his disqualification.
The disqualification came as a surprise to many, especially considering this was Azizulhasni's fifth Olympics. He had entered the competition with the ultimate goal of completing his full set of medals with the gold that had eluded him.
AZEEM'S UNDER-PAR PERFORMANCE IN MEN'S 100M HEAT
For a sprinter of Azeem Fahmi's stature, his performance was simply not good enough even though this was his first Olympics.
The Hangzhou Asian Games bronze medallist faced a harsh reality check in Paris. He clocked disappointing times of 10.42s in the preliminary round and an even slower 10.45s in the first round heat, resulting in a ninth and last-place finish. These performances were a far cry from his national record of 10.09s set two years ago.
While it may have been a tall order for Azeem to advance far in Paris, the least expected of him was to run close to his personal best, if not break it.
LAUDABLE
THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY FROM SHAH FIRDAUS
It was indeed an eventful second Olympic appearance for Shah Firdaus Sahrom who navigated his way to the top-six men's keirin's final, becoming the only the third Malaysian to do so after Azizulhasni Awang and Josiah Ng.
With the nation still reeling from Azizulhasni's shocking disqualification, Shah emerged as a beacon of hope.
Shah's performance rekindled dreams of a third straight cycling podium finish, following Azizulhasni's bronze and silver triumphs in 2016 and 2021.
But the final race was a heartbreaking near-miss for Shah. Holding third place with just 25 metres to go, victory seemed within grasp. However, a collision with Japan's Shinji Nakano shattered his dream, sending Shah and Britain's Jack Carlin crashing onto the track.
Displaying remarkable resilience, Shah picked himself up despite injuries and pushed his bike across the finish line for fourth spot. Yet fate had one more cruel twist - officials relegated him to sixth for veering into Shinji's path.
Nonetheless, Shah's performance was nothing short of commendable. This creditable outing provides a solid foundation for him to build upon, with eyes now set on a stronger comeback at the 2028 Olympics.
PEARLY-THINAAH MADE IT OUT OF "GROUP OF DEATH" TO FINISH FOURTH
The odds were stacked against Pearly Tan-M. Thinaah after landing in Group A, dubbed the "Group of Death."
This challenging group comprised China's top seeds Chen Qing Chen-Jia Yi Fan, Japan's Mayu Matsumoto-Wakana Nagahara and Indonesia's Apriyani Rahayu-Siti Fadia Silva Ramadhanthi, all ranked above the Malaysian pair.
After a fighting loss in their opening match to eventual gold medallists Qing Chen-Yi Fan, Pearly-Thinaah bounced back with a superb win against two-time world champions Matsumoto-Nagahara. They then subdued their Indonesian rivals in a must-win match to keep their hopes alive.
Riding this momentum, they powered past South Korea's Kim So Yeong-Kong Hee Yong to reach the semi-finals, setting up a rematch with Qing Chen-Yi Fan. Despite a spirited performance, they fell short again. In the bronze medal playoff, they succumbed to Japan's Chiharu Shida-Nami Matsuyama.
Nonetheless, it was still a commendable Olympic debut for Pearly-Thinaah, winning the hearts of Malaysians.
WEIGHTLIFTER ANIQ'S CREDITABLE FOURTH PLACING
Aniq Kasdan came agonisingly close to winning Malaysia's first medal at these Olympics, missing out on the podium by a mere 1kg.
In Paris, Aniq set new national records with a 130kg snatch and a 167kg clean and jerk. His combined total of 297kg placed him fourth overall, just shy of American bronze medallist Hampton Morris (298kg).
Despite narrowly missing the podium, the fourth-place finish is still a creditable achievement for debutant Aniq. At just 22 years old, he has time on his side to aim for the podium at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
DIVER NUR DHABITAH REINSTATES HERSELF AS ONE OF WORLD'S BEST
Nur Dhabitah Sabri featured in her third straight Olympics, thanks to a wild card from World Aquatics. With less than a month of preparation, her achievement in reaching the top-12 final of the women's springboard was nothing short of remarkable.
Perhaps her only regret would be underperforming in the final, where she scored 244.80 points, some 40 lower than the 286.95 she achieved during the semi-final.
Despite this, Nur Dhabitah's overall performance was a redemption of sorts after her disappointing showing at the World Championships earlier this year.