Sabah dominate Sukma petanque as young talent shines nationwide

But beyond Sabah's commanding performance, the competition also offered an encouraging glimpse into the depth of Malaysia's next generation of players, with 11 of the 14 participating contingents winning at least one medal.

Sabah topped the final medal standings with four golds and one silver, followed by Sarawak with one gold, one silver and one bronze. Melaka and hosts Selangor also claimed a gold each.

Johor finished with two silvers, while Perak, Pahang, Penang, Kedah, Kelantan and Terengganu were also represented on the podium.

With the Sukma petanque competition restricted to Under-21 players, Malaysian Boules Sports Federation (MBSF) president Cheah Ban Cheng said the broad spread of medals was an encouraging reflection of the development work being carried out by state associations.

"The fact that 11 of the 14 contingents won medals is a very positive sign for Malaysian petanque," said Cheah.

"At Under-21 level, we want to see talent coming through from as many states as possible. Sukma provides these young players with an important competitive platform and also allows us to assess the progress of the respective state development programmes."

Sabah's success was built largely around their superiority in the combination events, where they won the women's doubles, mixed doubles and both triples titles.

Leeyana Fitrialesya Kamrudin was the standout individual of the competition, emerging as the only player to win two gold medals.

She partnered Nurul Aina Ali Asmat to defeat Penang's Anis Sofea Saiful Rizal and Nur Irdina Qaireen Mohd Firdaus 13-6 in the women's doubles final.

Leeyana then teamed up with Putri Ara Aryanna Abdullah and Thadis Henhera Vennice for Sabah A in the women's triples, where they defeated fellow Sabah representatives Nurul Aina, Siti Noor Ellyshatul Balqish and Siti Nur Vivianah Chia 13-1 in an all-Sabah final.

Sabah were equally convincing in the men's triples as Ainol Shahramadhan Abu Bakar, Muhamad Saidi Sajikil @ Abbas and Muhammad Fariz Ahmad Nor Abdullah overcame Pahang's Mohamad Aidil Adha Abd Rahman, Muhammad Haikal Abd Rahman and Muhammad Harith Muhaimin Hafaizul 13-1.

Their fourth gold came in the mixed doubles through Maxivianna Robert and Ryorie Ethan Augustine, who defeated Sarawak's Qurratu Aini Mohamad Morly and Muhammad Aiman Hazwan Abdul Kadir 11-5.

Sarawak's lone gold came in the men's doubles, where Muhamad Irfan Syazani and Watziq Zulfiqrie Dahl defeated Johor's Mohammad Afi Najmi Mohammad and Muhammad Aidil Akmal Yahya 12-7.

The two singles titles were shared by Melaka and Selangor.

Melaka's Saidatul Ummairah Md Dani defeated Perak's Carmila Nadhirah Mohd Noor 13-9 for the women's crown, while Selangor's Muhammad Rafieq Abd Rahim secured the men's title with a 13-3 victory over Johor's Ammar Zakwan Zanizam.

Cheah said performances at Sukma would provide MBSF with a useful reference point as it continues to identify players capable of progressing through the national development pathway.

"Medals are important, but Sukma is also about identifying potential. These players are still young and there is a lot of room for them to develop," he said.

"What we want is for the states to continue producing players and giving them opportunities to compete. From there, those who show the right qualities can be nurtured towards a higher level."

Kedah collected the most bronze medals with three. Their medallists were Muhammad Fahmi Mohd Bakri and Muhammad Rafiq Aqil Rawandi in the men's doubles; Nur Aida Adriyana Mohd Yusri and Nurliana Syamira Mohd Sazli in the women's doubles; and Nur Aida Adriyana, Nur Nadirah Muhammad Yaziid and Nurliana Syamira Mohd Sazli in the women's triples.

The other bronze medallists were Sarawak's Akhtar Shauqi Aini Mohd Dom in the men's singles, Kelantan's Nur Farisha Nabila Mohd Zain in the women's singles, Perak's Nurul Aina Ashikin Abd Rahman and Mohamad Yusman Haizad Mohamad Yusof in the mixed doubles, and Terengganu's Mohamad Syamsul Bahri Ahmad Sukimi, Muhammad Abdul Hamim Amani Abdul Halim and Muhammad Danish Mohd Norhisham in the men's triples.