HOSTS Sarawak had to endure a nerve-wracking experience before finally ending a 30-year wait to emerge as overall champions of the 2024 Malaysia Games (Sukma) today.
Sarawak bagged 76 gold, 54 silver, and 68 bronze medals, edging Federal Territories, who finished second with 75 gold, 65 silver, and 72 bronze. Selangor were third with 55 gold, 64 silver and 57 bronze.
Sarawak owed their overall success to Kedah's men's singles table tennis player, Shen Wong Qi, who defeated Federal Territories' Im Jin Zhen in the final yesterday. If Federal Territories had won the gold in that event, they would have matched Sarawak's gold tally and claimed the overall title based on a higher silver medal count.
Director of the Sarawak State Sports Council, Awang Putrayusrie Awang Hassan, said the historic achievement was the result of early preparations made by the state.
"We have had a continuous sports development programme since the 2022 edition in Kuala Lumpur. After a less-than-satisfactory performance in 2022, I made changes to our programme... we brought in coaches and provided sufficient exposure to athletes.
"We focused on our sports prospects. All our main sports achieved their KPIs (Key Performance Indicators). We also made significant investments in athlete preparations, especially as the host this time.
"Finally, after 30 years, we succeeded in becoming the overall champions. This is also the result of cooperation from all parties, including sports associations and state sports council officers who carried out their duties excellently," he said.
Taekwondo was the biggest contributor to Sarawak's gold haul with 11 golds, followed by diving (nine), swimming (nine), while athletics, petanque, muay thai, bowling, and silat each secured five golds.
This is Sarawak's fourth overall title, having previously won in 1990, 1992 and most recently in 1994. In 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, Johor were crowned the overall champions after collecting 77 gold, 52 silver, and 43 bronze medals.