KUALA LUMPUR, 13 December: Malaysia’s mixed triples challenge at the 33rd Thailand SEA Games came to an end today after both national combinations missed out on a top-four finish in the final round of qualifiers at Valaya Alongkorn Rajabhat University.
In the mixed triples (two men, one woman) event, the experienced trio of Syed Akmal Fikri Syed Ali, Saiful Bahri Musmin and Sharifah Aqilah Farhana Syed Ali fought hard but went down 8--12 to Vietnam in a must-win encounter.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s mixed triples (two women, one man) combination of Nur Thahira Tasnim Abdul Aziz, Siti Asiah Zaini and Mohamad Shah Ismail also fell just short of progression, losing 7-13 to Thailand in their decisive third-round match.
Both teams entered the final round knowing a victory was required to secure a top-four finish under the Swiss System qualifying format, and while the results did not go Malaysia’s way, the performances reflected the squad’s competitiveness throughout the preliminary phase.
Despite the mixed triples exits, Malaysia’s SEA Games petanque campaign is far from over, with two more medal opportunities still in play as the men’s and women’s triples events take centre stage tomorrow.
