By Shikin Louis
KUCHING, Jan 23: Sarawak para discus thrower Colorine Sijang made headlines at the ongoing 13th ASEAN Para Games by shattering the record with a throw of 12.82 metres, surpassing the previous mark of 10.83 metres set by a Thai athlete.
Her gold medal is one of seven contributed so far by Sarawak athletes to Malaysia’s tally of 17 gold medals at the Games in Nakhon Ratchasima (Korat), Thailand, which run from Jan 20 to 26, 2026.
Minister of Women, Early Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said she is one of 31 Sarawak athletes out of 222 Malaysian para athletes.
Other gold medals from Sarawak athletes were won by Rusdianto Rusmadi in men’s 50m and 100m butterfly swimming, Muhd Nur Syaiful Zulkafli in men’s 50m butterfly swimming, Abang Yahya Abang Azhar in men’s singles 10-pin bowling, Gloria Gracia Wong Si in women’s singles table tennis, and Bibiana Ahmad in 67kg powerlifting with a best lift of 95kg.
“As of 2.30 pm today, Sarawak athletes have contributed seven gold, six silver and three bronze medals to Malaysia’s contingent.
“In the overall standings, Malaysia has climbed to third place with a total of 17 gold, 31 silver and 21 bronze medals—69 in all. Thailand appears to be dominating the Games with 69 golds, followed by Indonesia with 41,” she told reporters at a press conference at Baitul Makmur 2 here today.
She added that the current focus remains on supporting the athletes to perform at their best, and any recognition or incentives for Sarawak’s medal winners would depend on decisions made by the national sports body.
“Regarding recognition and incentives, we will wait for the national sports body to decide on any awards. Once their decision is out, we will see what incentives can be given to our athletes,” she added. – DayakDaily
