NAKHON RATCHASIMA: Malaysia’s Wong Kar Gee
(pic) soared to victory in the Men’s Long Jump T12 at the 2025 Asean Para Games (APG) in Thailand, clinching the nation’s 55th gold medal in style while also setting a new Games record.
Kar Gee delivered a superb leap of 6.83 metres (m) in the final to top an all-Malaysian podium, ahead of Ahmad Zuaiman Shamsuddin, who cleared 6.35m, and Muhammad Nazri Hazmi Mohan with 6.31m.
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“This is a very special moment. I am really happy to give Malaysia this 55th gold. It’s a significant number and it feels great to have achieved our target.
“It’s been a long journey with lots of training. This is my first competition of the year, and I am pleased with the result,” he told reporters here on Sunday.
The milestone gold also held personal significance for Kar Gee, who endured a challenging outing at the Cambodia 2023 edition, where he was forced to compete in a different category due to a classification issue and finished second despite carrying injuries.
He also shared his personal ambition for the year to surpass his personal best of 7.22m, set in Beijing in 2019.
“I hope to break it later this year once my training reaches peak form,” he added.
The national contingent targeted a total of 181 medals including 55 gold at the Games. At the Cambodia 2023 edition, Malaysia finished fourth overall with a haul of 50 gold, 38 silver and 35 bronze medals.
Meanwhile, national para badminton ace Cheah Liek Hou settled for silver after losing to Indonesia’s Dheva Anrimusthi in the SU5 men’s singles final on Sunday.
In the 47-minute match, Liek Hou was unable to sustain his momentum and went down in straight sets, 19-21, 15-21.
Liek Hou said the defeat was largely due to slow physical recovery throughout the tournament as a result of the tightly packed competition schedule.
“My body was very sore and recovery was slow. In badminton, we compete over five to six consecutive days, so when sleep is insufficient and recovery is not at its best, it will inevitably affect performance in crucial matches,” he said.
However, Liek Hou described the result as part and parcel of competitive sport and said he is now fully focused on the upcoming 2026 Para Badminton World Championships in Bahrain from Feb 7 to 14.
He added that this was his sixth or seventh appearance at the APG, having previously captured five titles, with his most recent victory was in Solo, Indonesia, in 2022.
Liek Hou also added another silver medal to Malaysia’s tally after partnering Mohamad Faris Ahmad Azri in the SU5 men’s doubles event. However, the national pair went down to Indonesia’s Dheva Anrimusthi and Hafizh Briliansyah in straight sets, 15-21, 11-21.
Meanwhile, a tense atmosphere for almost three hours turned to joy when Mohamad Yusshazwan Yusuf ensured the Malaysian contingent achieved its overall medal target at the 2025 APG by presenting the country with its 181st medal here, Sunday.
In the men’s singles final of wheelchair tennis, Yusshazwan defeated Thailand’s Kittiphong Wongcharoen 2-0 (6-2, 7-6(5)) to take home the gold.
Mohamad Yusshazwan’s emotions peaked as soon as the victory was recorded when tears flowed uncontrollably as he was able to fulfil his promise to bring home the gold for his beloved wife, Aisyah Basharuddin, 28, and family members.
“I really hope to spring a surprise in this singles event. I really dream about it. I have also promised my wife to bring back a medal, especially a gold one, for her, as well as for my mother and father.
“My wife said, ‘you fight against yourself, not against your opponent’. I will stick to those words until the day of this match,” said Mohamad Yusshazwan, who brought home the silver medal in the Solo 2022 edition.
He admitted that the match was marked by tension and he almost collapsed towards the end of the game.
“In tennis terms, I choked during match point because I was probably nervous about finishing the game. But Alhamdulillah, when it came to a tiebreak, I managed to control my tactics and emotions. Finally, I managed to finish the game in the tiebreak,” he said.
