From Farah Najihah Zuraimi
TOKYO, Nov 14 (Bernama) — “From silence, we create success.” That simple slogan is not mere rhetoric but the very ‘lifeblood’ for the 25 national deaf athletes who are now ready to carve history when the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics officially opens here tomorrow.
To ensure peak performance, the national contingent arrived early with their respective coaching teams on Nov 4 to begin centralised training in Miyoshi City to adapt to the weather and the host environment.
The question is, will this careful planning and thorough preparation deliver the three gold medals targeted by the Malaysian Deaf Sports Association (MSDeaf)?
Two of the gold medals are targeted through badminton (women’s doubles and mixed doubles), while the other is hoped to come from tenpin bowling.
At the Brazil 2022 Deaflympics, Malaysia returned with two gold medals — in women’s badminton doubles and women’s team tenpin bowling.
On paper, the women’s doubles pair of Boon Wei Ying and Foo Zu Tung are the best bet after winning the Jakarta 2025 Deaf SEA Games, and Wei Ying’s experience is expected to help guide her partner in the mixed doubles, Edmund Teo, to a golden moment in Tokyo.
A different situation awaits in tenpin bowling, with head coach Tay Teck Kheng admitting that the new team event format to be introduced will test the strength of the national squad, with the men’s team seen as having a better chance of delivering good news.
Two other sports Malaysia will compete in — athletics and karate — also carry strong potential for pleasant surprises.
The athletics camp ended their 2025 Deaf SEA Games campaign in Jakarta in style after sweeping all 10 gold medals, but Tokyo will be a different ball game altogether as deaf athletes from around the world gather in pursuit of glory, especially in the blue-riband sprint events.
This presents the best opportunity for Malaysia’s deaf athletics star, Mohamad Zamir Azman, dubbed the Southeast Asian Deaf Sprint King after his 100-metre triumph in Jakarta with a time of 11.06 seconds, to test his standing among the world’s best sprinters.
Also in the spotlight is Nur Andrina Zainuddin, who will compete in the women’s 100 metres. She clocked an impressive 13.06s in Jakarta to deliver gold for Malaysia.
The main hope for karate is Yilamaran Vispalinggam, the silver medallist in Kumite at the Brazil 2022 Deaflympics.
Previously, the MADANI government approved an additional allocation of RM3 million to MSDeaf to support the athletes’ preparations for Tokyo, while Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh announced that athletes who win gold will receive RM80,000, silver RM40,000, and bronze RM20,000, in recognition of their extraordinary spirit.
If Malaysians have cheered for our Olympic and Paralympic athletes, then the time has come for us all to give full support to our national deaf contingent, who are fighting to ensure the Jalur Gemilang flies proudly at the Tokyo 2025 Deaflympics.
— BERNAMA
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