Sukma 2024: ‘Tekong’ Hariz wants to steer Sarawak to victory

KUCHING (July 30): Much-vaunted Malaysia B player Muhammad Hariz Hipni, already regarded as a senior player at the age of 19, will form the backbone of Sarawak’s sepak takraw squad aiming to win a medal at the 21st Malaysia Games (Sukma).

The native of Saratok in Betong Division has already made a name for himself in the Malaysia B squad and remains confident about facing his national teammates who will be representing other states in the biennial games.

“If you look at the majority of the Malaysia B squad, they will play for the Terengganu, Johor, and Penang teams in Sukma but for me, Sarawak’s biggest threats are Terengganu, Penang, and Selangor,” he told Bernama.

He said it is a big responsibility to represent Bumi Kenyalang (Land of the Hornbills), and he is confident Sarawak will finish among the top four teams in the event.

“This is my second participation in Sukma, so I am not only carrying the state flag but also the name of the Malaysia B team,” the tekong told Bernama.

At Sukma 2022, Terengganu won the sepak takraw gold while Perak took silver and Penang grabbed bronze.

Sarawak sepak takraw head coach Amir Abu Bakar also shared Muhammad Hariz’s confidence, saying the Bumi Kenyalang squad had played friendly matches against several state teams and undergone intensive training with Thailand’s leading club, Ratchaburi Takraw Club.

“During the stint in Thailand, the coach there assessed our players and found the Sarawak team to be formidable, so that is a compliment. We also played a friendly match with the Thai under-19 team, who have beaten the Thai senior players before,” he said.

He said the endorsement of the Thai coach was uplifting for Sarawak’s Sukma challenge.

“This gives confidence to the Sarawak squad, who have potential but lack exposure to matches abroad. We hope that winning a medal at Sukma will spur the development of sepak takraw in this state,” said Amir, who was national coach from 2007 to 2013.

Apart from Muhammad Hariz, he is also banking on five other seniors who have played in Sukma previously to guide the younger players in the squad.

One of them is Muhammad Fakurazi Julaini, 21, who has represented the Sarawak team since the 2018 Sukma and will be playing in his last edition this time.

“For my last Sukma, I have high hopes for Sarawak to get a medal regardless of the colour. As the host, we enjoy a home-ground advantage,” he said.

The men’s and women’s sepak takraw competition will be held from Aug 14-23 at the Muhibbah Stadium in Bintulu.

Sukma 2024 will feature 37 sports involving 488 events consisting of 236 men’s events, 217 women’s events and 35 mixed events to be staged in nine divisions, namely Kuching, Samarahan, Serian, Sri Aman, Betong, Sibu, Mukah, Bintulu and Miri.

Sukma, which was introduced in 1986, has been hosted in Sarawak twice, in 1990 and 2016. – Bernama