Rising stars ‘Jojo’, Philomena, Bertrand make S’wak sports history in 2023

A LONG list of Sarawak athletes made the news in 2023 by earning more fame and glory at international sports events. Earning the greatest accolade was 17-year-old muaythai sensation Muhammad Johan ‘Jojo’ Ghazali Zulfikar.

It took the rising star of Rentap Muay Thai Gym in Kuching only 39 seconds in the first round to deliver a knockout blow on Mexico’s Edgar Tabares in the US Primetime ONE Championship fight at Lumpinee Stadium, Bangkok, Thailand on Dec 9.

It was his fifth victory since February this year. He also became the youngest fighter at age of 16 to secure an US$100,000 contract after knocking out 25-year-old Russian fighter Temiran Bekmurzaev in a ONE Friday Fight 36 at Lumpinee Stadium on Oct 6.

Meanwhile, in the boxing ring, Daeloniel McDelon Bong from Sri Aman, better known as ‘Kilat Boy’, made another breakthrough in his fighting career when he clinched his first ABF Championship belt at Spaceplus, Bangkok in October.

In the scheduled 10-round bout, he took only 2:44s in the third round to knock out Thai boxer Artid Bamrungauea.

The victory followed a highly successful year in 2022 when Daelonial had a TKO over Sikander Abbasi in the 57kg in the Pakistan Professional Boxing Championships, lifted the 57kg title at Pulau Pinang International Boxing Festival and emerging as gold medalist at Sukma XX in the 54-57kg category.

Forty-year-old Bidayuh musclewoman Philomena Dexclyn Siar stole some of the limelight from Sarawak’s top male bodybuilders in 2023. She lifted the Women’s Sports Physique (over 165cm) title at the 55th Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships in Kathmandu, Nepal in September to become Sarawak’s first woman to clinch a title in the regional competition.

It was her third appearance at the Asian championships, having won silver at the 16th South East Asian Championships in Yangon, Myanmar in 2019.

Meanwhile, powerlifting ace Bonnie Bunyau Gustin was Malaysia’s most successful para athlete at the Hangzhou Asian Para Games in October when the national contingent captured seven golds, 15 silvers and 17 bronzes for a total of 39 medals.

He completed a trifecta of gold medals in major multi-sport games after emerging top in China in the Under-72kg with a 230kg lift, a new games record at Xiaoshan Sports Centre Gymnasium.

Bonnie has now won at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics in 2021, World Championships in 2019 and 2021 as well as the Asia-Oceania Championships and Birmingham Commonwealth Games in 2022.

National diving icon Pandelela Rinong had a relatively quiet year in 2023. But Sarawak fans have a new star to cheer in the diving arena. Bertrand Rhodict Lises, 18, carved his name in history when he became the first Malaysian diver to earn a ticket to Paris Olympics following his surprise Top 10 finish in the Men’s 10m Platform at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan in July. The Kuching lad garnered 420.70 points to finish 10th out of 18 participants in the semifinals.