PENANG’s men’s squash team defied expectations to secure a bronze medal at the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) after defeating the Federal Territories 2-1 in the bronze medal playoff at the Kompleks Sukan Astaka here today.
The hard-fought victory capped a determined campaign for a Penang side that entered the competition without being considered a medal prospect following the departure of their top-ranked player to Selangor.
Penang’s Kuhen Manimaran opened the playoff against Federal Territories’ P. Pradeep Dev but fell 8-11, 9-11, 7-11.
However, Penang fought back strongly through Tho Wei Yan, who defeated Muhammad Raziq Putra 7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-9 to level the tie at 1-1.
With the bronze medal resting on the final match, Ivan Chang Jia Yu delivered a commanding performance against Khailash Ravi Kumar, winning 11-6, 11-8, 11-0 to seal the 2-1 victory and secure the bronze for Penang.
Penang coach Aaron Soyza described the medal as a bonus for a team that had initially been considered outside medal contention.
“We were not expecting a medal. Discussions with the Penang State Sports Council (MSNPP) leading up to SUKMA, we had already discussed this extensively, and we were not a medal prospect since one of our players, our supposed number one, left to Selangor. So, it weakened our team significantly,” he said.
“So, to walk away with the bronze, it is already a bonus. When we came to SUKMA, we were still not a medal prospect whatsoever,” he told Buletin Mutiara earlier.
Soyza said Penang’s medal hopes only improved after Sarawak’s top player suffered a serious injury that required surgery, changing the competitive landscape of the event.
“That weakened the potential gold medalists. So, the potential gold medalist now looked like it was going to be Selangor, and then silver was going to be between three states. So, Penang moved into medal contention right at the beginning of SUKMA when we started, just because Sarawak was ruled out,” he stated.
Penang were subsequently drawn against top seeds Selangor in the semi-finals, where they suffered a clear defeat, leaving them with the bronze medal playoff against the Federal Territories.
Soyza believed a different draw could have opened the door to an even bigger achievement.
“Here, Kuala Lumpur, the FT team, they were seeded number two. We were seeded number three, but there was a draw, and the luck of the draw decided that we faced Selangor, the number one seeds, in the semi-finals.
“Had we had slightly better luck of the draw, we would have played FT in the semi-finals. If we repeated this in the semi-finals, we would have won the semi-finals and become a silver or gold medal contender,” he said.
Nevertheless, Soyza praised his players for keeping their composure and fighting until the final point, especially with the bronze medal at stake.
“Turning up this morning to risk losing and going back empty-handed is one thing. But the boys pulled it off. They turned it around, and we ended up winning. That is a bonus for all of us,” he said.
Team captain Kuhen, despite losing his own match, said he was immensely proud of his teammates for producing the comeback victory.
“I’m very, very proud of my team. Unfortunately, I could not win my match today, but both my teammates managed to pull through and get the comeback win for us,” he said.
Tho Wei Yan, who kept Penang’s medal hopes alive with his crucial victory, said the team had shown resilience despite not arriving with their strongest line-up.
“I think despite fighting against all the odds, we did a pretty good job. Everything did not go our way, but today went our way.
“We came in without the best team, but it is fine. Sometimes it happens. I think we did a good job fighting for the Penang badge,” he said.
Story by Kevin Vimal
Pix by Muhammad Iqbal Hamdan