PENANG had to settle for the silver medal in the women’s beach volleyball event at the 2026 Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Selangor after being edged out by the hosts in a thrilling, action-packed final at Dewan Teratai MBSA, Section 19, Shah Alam, today.
The Penang pairing of Noor Aishah Iskandar, 21, and Nur Auni Maisarah Shamsulrizal, 19, made a strong start, claiming the opening set 21-16 to put themselves within touching distance of gold.
However, Selangor fought back strongly in the second set, winning 21-17 to level the match and force a decisive third set.
With the gold medal hanging in the balance, both pairs battled fiercely in the final set, but Selangor held their nerve to prevail 15-11 and deny Penang the top step of the podium.
Despite the disappointment, Penang beach volleyball team manager Mohammad Noor Aizuddin Omar praised both players for giving everything on court and sticking to the game plan.
“According to the plan we had prepared, both players gave their best. After this, we will conduct a post-mortem to identify where our weaknesses were.
“We followed the tactics that had been set, but we need to analyse where things went wrong because we could not maintain the momentum,” he told Buletin Mutiara.
Mohammad Noor Aizuddin said the team would use the defeat as a learning experience and work towards returning stronger in future competitions.
“We will look back at our mistakes in this match, identify what went wrong and come back stronger for the next tournament,” he said.
He also dismissed suggestions that fatigue alone was responsible for the defeat, pointing out that the players had already battled through injuries during the competition.
“Our players had suffered injuries before this, but we continued until the end. We told the players to endure the pain and keep fighting until the match was over,” he said.
He added that Nur Auni had previously suffered an injury to her foot but continued competing despite the setback.
Meanwhile, Penang Sukma contingent chef de mission (CDM) Joseph Ng Soon Siang, who is also the Air Itam assemblyman, said he was proud of the duo for fighting until the final point.
“As usual in sports, you cannot take any opponent lightly. As long as they are your opponents, you have to fight until the very last moment.
“Our target was a gold medal today, but there is nothing we can do. Our opponents were better today, so we have to accept the result.
“Hopefully, these two players will continue to work hard, keep fighting and become better in the future,” he said.
Asked whether the extremely hot weather could have contributed to Penang’s defeat, Ng said he did not believe it was the main factor.
“I don’t think so. Both pairs have fought before, and this went into a deciding third set. In the end, it depends on determination, fighting spirit and confidence. Perhaps the weather played a small part, but only the players themselves would know,” he said.
Ng noted that Penang had started the final strongly but lost some momentum in the second set before struggling to regain their confidence in the deciding game.
“As I mentioned earlier, you have to fight all the way and never take anything for granted. We fought quite well in the first set, but in the second set, we lost our momentum.
“In the third set, it comes down to confidence. Perhaps that was where we lacked a little. Hopefully, the Penang State Sports Council (MSNPP) and our sports psychology team can help them develop further and become better players in the future,” he said.
Story by Riadz Akmal
Pix by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis