Malaysia settle for silver at Asian Petanque Championships
Malaysia's junior mixed triples team fell just short of gold at the 6th Asian Petanque Championships today.
Muhammad Aidil Zakri Junaidi in action during the final at Arena Petanque Kuala Lumpur. - BERNAMA PIC
The home side lost 13-2 to Thailand A in the final at Arena Petanque Kuala Lumpur. Thailand, led by world junior mixed-precision-shooting champions Suekham Pannada and Aramrod Saharat, proved simply too strong.
Malaysia — featuring Muhammad Aidil Zakri Junaidi, Muhammad Arsyad Muhammad Tajuddin, Siti Noor Ellyshatul Balqish Suhaimi and Nur Erissya Najwa Helmey — made a bright start. They held Thailand 1-1 after two ends before the visitors surged 6-1 ahead and never looked back.
Despite the defeat, the young Malaysians could take pride in their silver-medal achievement on home soil. "We gave our best, but things just didn't go our way today," said Arsyad. "We tried to play longer throws but couldn't quite execute as planned, and the Thais were simply outstanding — their shooting was very accurate. Our pointing still needs improvement — the control, the spin, the lift — but overall we're happy to have made it this far. It's our first Asian Championships together, and reaching the final is already a big achievement. Of course, there's some disappointment because we were one step away from gold. But this experience has motivated us to keep improving and come back stronger."
Coach Muhd Nuzul Azwan Ahmad Temizi lauded his players' composure and fight despite limited time to prepare. "This junior team was only formed in July, and we had about several months to prepare — most of it through online training," said Nuzul. The players have solid foundations through the SUKMA programme with their respective states, but they lack international exposure compared to Thailand, who came with two world junior champions. Considering the circumstances, our players did exceptionally well. This silver shows Malaysia's junior programme is on the right track."
Earlier, Malaysia's men's and women's triples teams each claimed bronze after losing their semi-finals to experienced Cambodian sides.
The men's squad comprised Mohd Muqri Arif Mohd Sapiny, Khairul Amirul Zamrul Hisyam, Muhd Idham Shahrulzahari and Nuzul Azwan.
The women's line-up featured Sharifah Aqilah Farhana Syed Ali, Nur Thahira Tasnim Abdul Aziz, Siti Asiah Zaini and Nur Iman Aina Ahmad Sabti.
Malaysia had earlier celebrated a solid start when Nur Iman Aina, Muhd Harith Muhaimin Hafaizul and Nuzul Azwan bagged two silvers and a bronze in precision shooting.
Overall, Malaysia wrapped up their home campaign with three silvers and three bronzes — a promising sign ahead of next month's SEA Games in Thailand.
Malaysia finished fourth in the final medal standings behind Thailand (3–0–3), Cambodia (2–1–0) and Indonesia (1–0–1).
source: https://www.nst.com.my/sports/others/2025/11/1311992/malaysia-settle-silver-asian-petanque-championships
