PARA SUKMA: SARAWAK ON RIGHT TRACK TO ACHIEVE GOLD MEDAL TARGET

KUCHING, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- The Sarawak contingent are on the right track to achieving their 83-gold target at the 2024 Malaysia Para Games (Para SUKMA), with three days to go before the curtain comes down on the biennial Games.

As of 8 pm today, the hosts have already raked in 56 golds, 36 silvers and 47 bronzes to lead the medal standings ahead of defending champions Sabah (44-24-20) and Selangor (20-30-26).

Swimming stole the show today, with five national and four Games records shattered at the Pandelela Rinong Aquatic Centre.

Two of the swimmers who shone were Negeri Sembilan's Aleeya Fariesya Faizul and Sabah's Ethan Khoo.

Aleeya Fariesya clocked 3 minutes and 05.36 seconds (s) in the women's 200-metre (m) freestyle S14 (intellectual impairment) to eclipse the previous national mark of 3:19.08 set by Kedah's Puteri Nur Diyana Megat six years ago.

Ethan, who already has a gold and a bronze in hand, clocked 2:22.02s in the men's 200m individual medley SM14 (intellectual impairment) to break the old national mark of 2:22.12 set by Muhammad Imaan Aiman last year.

There was also excitement in athletics at the Sarawak Stadium when the gold, silver and bronze medallists in the women's javelin F40 (physical impairment) category all broke the Games record of 8.54m set by Sarawak's Cordiria Nyoted in 2018.

Sabah's Fredechi Asri took gold with a throw of 11.58m while Sarawak's Mary Bada took silver with an effort of 10.89m and bronze medallist Noor Zaidah Mazlan of Melaka did 10.19m.

Over at the Youth and Sports Complex, Sarawak powerlifter Brownson John Gustin, the younger brother of Bryan Junency and two-time Paralympic gold medallist Bonnie Bunyau, delivered a bronze for best lift in the men's below 80-kilogramme (kg) category. 

Competition at the biennial Games is set to be more intense in the next few days as 127 gold medals are still up for grabs, with 65 on offer tomorrow.

Of the 65 gold medals, athletics will see the most up for grabs with 25, followed by swimming (15), boccia (seven), powerlifting (six), archery (five), bowling (four) and table tennis (three).

-- BERNAMA