HAVING won two gold medals in the sepak takraw competition at the recent Sukma, Penang will not rest on its laurels.
The state men’s team manager Mohd Hasnul Hadi Abd Rashid gave this assurance, highlighting that Penang has many talented players waiting in the wings.
“Out of the 14 players in the Sukma men’s squad this year, 10 are still eligible to compete in the 2028 Sukma in Kelantan. They have to be on their toes as we have a pool of capable reserves, including players from the state schools’ squad, who are vying for spots,” said Mohd Hasnul, a clerk with the State Education Department’s Assessment and Examinations Sector.
He was speaking to Buletin Mutiara in an interview at the Tunku Syed Putra Building in George Town.
The last time Penang achieved a historic ‘double’ was 26 years ago when it hosted Sukma in 2000.
This year, Penang’s players, with 80 per cent of them from sports school SMK Mutiara Impian, successfully defended the men’s three-player team title by beating Johor 2-1 and clinched the regu title by defeating Sabah 2-1. Penang had previously won the regu title in 2018 in Perak.
Mohd Hasnul noted that the final 20 days of centralised training made a significant difference to the team’s success.
From an initial training squad of 20 players, six were dropped after the final selection.
“We could only get about four or five players for each training session, as most of them were either busy with their studies or work commitments.
“With the help of our president and the Penang State Sports Council (MSNPP), we managed to go to Yala, Thailand, for a 10-day training stint, before proceeding to the Sepak Takraw Academy in Kuala Lumpur for another 10 days of centralised training. That was where strong team spirit was fostered before Sukma began,” he added.
Apart from team spirit, Mohd Hasnul credited coaches Sofix Nadzri, Hassan Hashim and Mohd Nasir Mydin, as well as physiotherapists Zulkarnain and Nur Putera Danial Azlan, for instilling discipline and care among the players, which prepared them well for the tournament.
He also highlighted the contributions of reserve players such as Mohd Faris Nasrullah and Ismail Nazri, who played important roles in the three-player team’s success.
For the record, Penang’s regu team registered identical 2-0 victories over Sarawak and Negeri Sembilan, but lost 0-2 to Kuala Lumpur in the group stage.
Penang then went on to defeat Pahang 2-0 in the quarter-finals and Selangor 2-0 in the semi-finals before securing a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over Sabah in the final.
In the three-player team event, Penang opened its campaign with a 1-2 defeat to Perak, but bounced back by beating Negeri Sembilan 2-1 to advance to the quarter-finals, where it eliminated Selangor 2-0.
In the semi-finals, Penang edged Pahang 2-1 before defeating Johor 2-1 in the final.
Penang’s men’s doubles and quadrant teams, however, could only progress to the quarter-finals before bowing out.
What pleased Mohd Hasnul was that several of his players had already received job offers from universities and government agencies following the team’s impressive showing.
After a brief break, the Penang regu team will return to action in the National Sepak Takraw League next month.
He said the competition would provide valuable exposure for the players as the next Sukma in Kelantan is only two years away.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi