Ailing Khalmizam puts team before self

Wan Khalmizam Wan Abdul Aziz.

DESPITE running a high temperature, Wan Mohd Khalmizam Wan Abdul Aziz helped his Malaysian compatriots - Cheng Chu Sian and Muhammad Marbawi Sulaiman - to retain the men's recurve team gold at the Suranaree University of Technology yesterday.

Khalmizam wisely refused to take any medication for fear that he might test positive for doping.

The team amassed 213 points, two more than their Indonesian rivals to win.

Although they won the gold medal, their score was below their best of 225.

Khalmizam said although his body felt hot he had to endure the heat and managed to maintain his average score.
Their women counterparts - Irza Hanie Abdul Samah, S. Anbarasi and Nor Aziera Taip - failed to make it a double when they lost to Indonesia - 204-198 - in the final and had to settle for silver.

Team manager Mohamad Yazid Yahya said all the men performed below par. "But luckily the other teams too were below par so we managed to defend our gold," he said.

Earlier in the day, the Malaysian men's compound team of Soo Teck Kim, Lau Siew Hong and Ting Leong Fong claimed the bronze medal when they beat Singapore. Malaysia amassed 217 points to Singapore's 214.

The compound team, in the semi-finals, managed an impressive 225 score but Vietnam were a point better and advanced to the final.

Yazid admitted the standard has gone up. "Scoring 225 is Asian class yet we lost," he said.

From the team that won the gold in Manila only Teck Kim remains. One of the other members - Lang Hon Keong - is now coaching Thailand's compound team.

NST