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TAWAU: East Coast athletes put on an impressive show in athletics after sweeping the top three spots in the men’s 110m hurdles at the 11th Sabah Games (Saga XI) 2025.

Tawau’s Muhammad Ilham Jaffar clinched the gold medal with a time of 14.77s, ahead of Lahad Datu’s Mohammad Fiqrul Amri and Kalabakan’s Muhammad Hazeeq Muizzudeen Maurice, who took silver and bronze with times of 15.49s and 15.86s respectively.

A new championship record was also set by Lahad Datu athlete Muhd Fazrul Nizam Ajah in the semi-finals with a time of 14.70s, breaking the previous record of 15.21s set by Kudat’s Mohd Shafiee Mukamad in 2013.

In the women’s 100m hurdles, Tambunan’s Abernetha Elissa Tadius successfully defended her gold medal with a time of 15.36s, followed by Lahad Datu’s Nurul Najwa Jainal Abadin (15.74s) and Kota Kinabalu’s Angel Bong Kai Xin (15.97s).

The men’s 5,000m event saw Lahad Datu’s Muhammad Yusuf take gold with a time of 17:09.29s, while Kota Marudu’s Hugh Howard Banius and Tongod’s King Lomey Silo earned silver and bronze with times of 18:15.93s and 18:25.06s respectively.

The fifth day of Saga XI also recorded another new mark in the men’s javelin qualifying round, when Kinabatangan’s Mohammad Haiqal Jamal threw 54.21m, surpassing the previous record of 53.44m set by Beaufort’s Mohd Azizie Masdone in 2015.

Also held at the Tawau Sports Complex were the men’s and women’s 400m semi-finals, 200m heats, 4x400m semi-finals, and the men’s 1,500m semi-final, along with the medal presentation for the men’s high jump and discus throw events.

Meanwhile, Tenom clinched their first gold medal at Saga XI through the women’s team sepak takraw event.

Tenom defeated host Tawau with scores of 15-8, 15-9, 30-17, forcing Tawau to settle for silver, while the bronze medal was shared by Beluran and Kota Belud.

In the men’s team category, Papar dominated the final by defeating Tongod with a score of 15-9, 8-15, 15-12 to take home the gold medal. Kota Belud and Tawau shared third place in this category.

This victory marked the fourth sepak takraw gold medal for Papar, after also winning the women’s doubles, men’s doubles, and men’s team event.

Tenom Sepak Takraw President Datuk Jamawi Jaafar congratulated all teams participating in the event and expressed his delight at the improved quality of play and the emergence of new talent.

“With grassroots-level training, we are able to unearth new talents and further strengthen Sabah’s position in national-level games like Sukma,” he told the media after the medal presentation ceremony held at Dewan Vision School.

Jamawi also extended congratulations to Papar and Tenom, who each secured gold medals in the men’s and women’s team events respectively.

In taekwondo, Mohamad Darwisy Syah Mohd Iskandar and Nick Noveen Norbert emerged as standout athletes on the third day of competition held at Dewan Tun Mustapha, MRSM Tawau.

Mohamad Darwisy, representing Tuaran and participating in Saga for the first time, clinched the gold medal in the Male Open Light 68.1kg - 74.0kg category after defeating Kota Belud’s representative, Muhammad Fitri Iqbal Khalaf, with scores of 10-13, 10-7, 13-10.

The bronze medal in the same category was shared by athletes from Penampang, Azzery Fickly Ambrose Cannon, and Putatan’s Mohammad Daniyal.

Meanwhile, Lahad Datu athlete Nick Noveen Norbert also excelled in the Men Open Welter 74.1kg - 80.0kg category after defeating Tambunan’s Alexander Zachary Harry to secure the gold medal.

Third place was jointly awarded to Jeshaiah Jade Gordon Mani (Tambunan) and Nur Iqbal Al Hazique Mohamad (Putatan), who both took home bronze medals.

In the Female Open Welter 62.1kg - 67.0kg category, Nur Ain Izati Mohamad Amin won the gold, while Beatrice James from Kota Kinabalu took silver. Nurazdianah Samsudi (Ranau) and Joanna William (Tuaran) each won bronze medals.

According to Taekwondo Chief Technical Delegate Mhd Zaini Ucop, the sport is being contested for the first time since 2017, as it was not included in the Sukma Games.

He stated that a total of 56 medals are being contested in the taekwondo event, with 23 teams from across districts and eight categories in competition.

In netball, Keningau maintained their dominance in the sport after retaining the championship title.

The powerhouse team extended their winning streak to four consecutive editions after defeating Kota Kinabalu 53-49 in the final held at the Tawau Futsal Centre.

Under the guidance of Halleinah Tuanggaak, Keningau started strong, leading 15-9 in the first quarter and widening the gap to 26-19 by halftime.

Kota Kinabalu fought back in the third quarter, narrowing the margin to 41-35, but Keningau regained control in the final quarter, adding 12 more points to seal the win at 53-49.

Kota Kinabalu had to settle for silver, while Sandakan took bronze after defeating Lahad Datu 54-36 in the third-place match.

Meanwhile, Tuaran and Semporna advanced to the men’s volleyball final.

Tuaran booked their spot after defeating Keningau in the semi-final with scores of 25-18, 20-25, 25-15 and 25-19.

Semporna secured their place by overcoming Beaufort 22-25, 25-20, 18-25 and 12-25.

In the women’s category, Kota Belud advanced to the final after a 3-1 win over Lahad Datu with scores of 25-14, 25-16, 13-25 and 25-21, while Ranau bowed out after losing to Papar 25-18, 17-25, 15-25 and 18-25.

The volleyball finals will take place at the Tawau Sports Complex Multipurpose Hall.