DEAFLYMPICS 2025: SYABIL AZAM, CHOON SEONG SECURE MALAYSIA’S FIRST GOLD MEDAL IN TOKYO

From FARAH NAJIHAH ZURAIMI

TOKYO, Nov 21 (Bernama) -- Malaysia’s long, anxious seven-day wait finally exploded into joy in Tokyo as the men’s doubles bowling events delivered a blistering breakthrough by clinching the nation’s first gold of the Deaflympics 2025 in a pulse-racing final today.

Inside the intense, echoing lanes of the Higashiyamato Grand Bowl, Syabil Azam Syamsul Azam and Ho Choon Seong rose far above expectations producing a fearless and ice-cold performance to shock Ukraine 2-1 and rewrite Malaysia’s storyline at the Games.

bootstrap slideshow

With pressure swirling and the many crowds carrying the weight of a nation, Syabil Azam–Choon Seong stayed laser-sharp, unleashing impressive games of 243, 181 and 226 to outgun Danyliuk Vadym and Ialovega Vladyslav. 

Syabil, 21, who has only been paired with Choon Seong since last month said they rapidly built chemistry played a crucial role with both bowlers constantly syncing their intensity to stay locked in throughout the competition.

“Alhamdulillah. Today, it was our rezeki to win the Deaflympics gold medal. I’m so happy to make my parents proud. This medal is for them as they’ve done everything to support me,” he said through a sign language interpreter after the victory at Bernama, today. 

Choon Seong credited the coaching team for guiding them through tense moments saying that every difficulty felt worth it the moment the final pin fell.

Remarkably, the men’s doubles was never in Malaysia’s gold-medal projections yet the pair delivered when it mattered most to pushing the contingent closer to the three-gold target set by the Malaysian Deaf Sports Association (MSDeaf).

Previously, MSDeaf had banked on three events: women’s doubles badminton, mixed doubles badminton and men’s team bowling.

So far, badminton has brought home only a mixed doubles bronze while the men’s team bowling event will take place this Sunday. 

-- BERNAMA