Kota Kinabalu: Penampang Masters Athletics Club (Pampang) secured their seventh consecutive championship title at the 14th Sabah Masters Open Athletics Championship (Samoc) held at Likas Stadium over the weekend.
The club led by World Masters Athletics (WMA) Gallery of Champions inductee Juliana Gumpil delivered an impressive performance, bringing home a total of 79 golds, 55 silvers and 33 bronzes.
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The runners-up spot was won by KK Masters with 29 golds, 12 silvers and 13 bronzes closely followed by Papar Masters Athletics Club in third place with 27 golds, 27 silvers and 25 bronzes.
Juliana competing in the women’s 60-64 age group captured five gold medals in the 100m, long jump, triple jump, high jump, 80m hurdles and one bronze in shot put, while teammate Martin Solibun won six golds from javelin, discus, shot put (new record), high jump, long jump and triple jump in the men’s 85-89 age group.
The club’s Lee Ngit Yung, Helena Majalang and Linda Oh Ah Kiaw were also named best athletes in their respective groups.
Lee delivered four golds and two silvers as well as setting three records in shot put, discus and javelin in the women’s 80-84 group. Linda with three golds, one silver and one bronze in the women’s 70-74 set three records in the 100m, 200m and 400m, while Helena competing in the women’s 75-79, also won three golds and set two records in javelin and shot put.
The club was the biggest contingent in the championship with a total of 111 athletes. It featured 87-year-old Beatrice Sogondu as the oldest female competitor and Martin Solibun, 86, as the oldest male in the meet.
President Dr Tajul Ariffin Awang Mohd was pleased with the club’s achievement in winning the title for the seventh time and he was extremely proud of the three best athlete winners.
“We have registered 111 participants and forty percent of them are in the 60 above age group, who also contributed 80 percent of our total gold medal tally.
“Our junior masters’ participation has also increased this year and we are hoping to see more masters athletes from the Penampang district to join us,” he said.
He also revealed that 10 of their members will participate in the World Masters Athletics Championship in Daegu, South Korea from Aug 23-Sep 3.
