SUKMA MEDAL HOPEFUL … Marilyn Buseong wins a bronze medal for Sabah in the Balance Beam event.

KOTA KINABALU: Selangor was just too hot to handle as they walked out of the 18th National Artistic Gymnastic Championship as overall champions after winning 10 gold medals out of the 13 at stake.

If not for Perak’s duo – Ng Shu Wai and Ng Shu Mun, who won three gold medals between them – Selangor could have made a clean sweep.

They won all the six gold medals at stake in the women’s category and claimed four gold medals out of the seven competed in the men’s event.

It was national gymnasts – Chang Zhi Wei and Yap Yee Yin that helped Selangor to take full control in the women’s category.

Zhi Wei won three gold medals in the Individual Apparatus – Balance Beam, Vaulting Horse and Floor Exercise while Yap Yee Yin won the two gold medals in Uneven Bars and all round individual events.

The duo also helped Selangor to win gold in the team event.

In the men’s category, again, national gymnasts Loke Yik Siang and Onn Kwang Tung helped the champions to win four gold medals.

Loke won two gold medals in the all round individual event and Pommel Horse while Kwang Tung won gold in Rings event. They were also part of the winning combination for Selangor in the team event.

At the same time, Selangor also won another four silver medals and three bronze medals.

As for Perak, who finished second in the medal tally, they claimed the three gold medals through Shu Wai and Shu Mun.

Shu Wai won the gold medals in Vaulting Horse and Floor Exercise while Shu Mun the Parallel Bars.

Besides the three gold medals, Perak also bagged four silver medals and three bronze medals.

Third-placed Kuala Lumpur meanwhile won three silver medals and one bronze medal, while Penang won one silver medal to finish fourth.

The two-day event that ended at the Sabah Cultural Hall yesterday saw hosts Sabah merely complete their outing with three bronze medals to finish fifth.

They won the medals through Marilyn Buseong (Balance Beam), Eardziana Elvy (Vaulting Horse) and in the team event.
Team manager for Men’s Artistic Gymnastics Mohd Zamri Din was impressed with the achievement of the State gymnasts.

“This time around, they competed against national gymnasts, and the possibility of winning medals in Sukma is definitely there,” he said.

As for the men’s gymnasts, he said the State’s chances of winning medals (Sukma) is good in the individual apparatus event.

“Their performance has improved. They created a lot of unexpected results and that is based on the performance that they have achieved,” he added.

He said they have two training centres – in Sandakan and Kota Kinabalu.

“At the moment, gymnasts are undergoing intensive training at both centres,” said Zamri, adding that the just concluded championship was used mainly to pin point the weaknesses of State gymnasts. – FRANCIS XAVIER