AS expected, Malaysia swept both the men and women’s team gold medals in squash at the Philippines Sea Games yesterday.
And there was arguably nobody happier than Darren Rahul Pragasam, who delivered the winning point for Malaysia in the 3-0 win over Indonesia in the men’s team final.
In the 2017 Kuala Lumpur edition, Malaysia won only a bronze after Darren had unexpectedly lost to Philippines’ Rafael Yam in the men’s team semi-finals.
But Darren did not disappoint this time as he secured the winning point with an 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 win over Muhammad Faisal of Indonesia.
Addeen Idrakie Bahtiar had earlier delivered the opening point with an 11-8, 11-2, 11-3 win over Agung Wilant while Ryan Pasqual downed Rahmad Diyanto 11-6, 11-2, 11-3 in the dead rubber.
“It is the best feeling ever, especially after losing in 2017,” said Darren. “A lot of things were said after my defeat in 2017 but that is part and parcel of being an athlete.
“I have to thank my teammates, coaches, family and the Squash Racquets Association of Malaysia (SRAM) who supported me even when I was not doing well.”
The women’s final between Malaysia and Singapore saw Rachel Arnold beat S. Sneha 11-5, 11-6, 11-3 while Lai Wen Li secured the victory with a 10-12, 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 success over Sherilyn Yang. Ooi Kah Yan downed Yukino Tan 11-5, 11-7, 11-8 in the dead rubber.
Wen Li, who was only a reserve player in the gold medal-winning team in the 2017 edition, said: “The Sea Games is a big event for us, and it means a lot to add to Malaysia’s gold medal tally here.
“I tried to relax after losing the first set and it worked as I started playing better. I also noticed that she (Sherilyn) was beginning to tire.”
Addeen and Rachel had also won the men and women’s singles gold earlier in the competition.