SEREMBAN: The Negeri Sembilan Sepak Takraw team is optimistic about bringing home at least one medal at the Malaysian Games (SUKMA) in Sarawak next month.
Its coach, Mohd Syazwan Salehan said this is based on the performance and discipline shown by all the 14 players throughout their training that started last January, despite them being young players still new to SUKMA.
“We are participating in four events, including team event, quadrant and double. Our target is for the double and quadrant category ..we are targeting at least a bronze, God willing, silver or gold, we don’t want to come back empty-handed.
“This will be the first experience for all 14 players who are our long-term project which is 2026 to 2028..on average they can play for three more SUKMAs, the youngest is 16 years old and the oldest is 19 years old,“ he told reporters after the training session here today.
The 33-year-old coach, who is also a former Negeri Sembilan speak takraw player, however, said the squad had previously been exposed to national-level tournaments including the under 21 Johor President’s Cup Championship and the Pesenang Sepak Takraw Championship.
Regarding the training session for the squad, Mohd Syazwan said the emphasis now is on technique, drills and tactics.
“We avoid ‘hard’ training to avoid injury to the players,” he said, adding that they are assisted by former national players Hairul Hazizi Haidzir and Mohd Syazreen Qamar Salehan during the training.
He said the Terengganu and Penang teams are among their main challengers.
Meanwhile, team captain Mohd Fikri Abd Latif, 19, said he is a little nervous about facing the tournament due to his lack of experience compared to other teams but believed his squad is capable of providing a challenge.
SUKMA 2024, scheduled from Aug 17 to 24, involves the nine divisions in Sarawak, namely Kuching, Samarahan, Serian, Sri Aman, Betong, Sibu, Mukah, Bintulu and Miri.
This year’s games will see 37 sports with 488 events being contested, consisting of 236 men’s events, 217 women’s events and 35 mixed events.
The games will bring together 12,619 athletes and officials.
SUKMA, which began in 1986, has been organised in Sarawak twice, in 1990 and 2016.
