Sukma shadow squad shines at Sibu open track, field meet

SIBU (Nov 19): Athletes from the Sarawak shadow squad for Malaysia Games (Sukma) staged an excellent performance at the two-day Sibu Open Track and Field Championships 2023, which concluded today.

The Sukma boys and girls emerged champions of the Open category, having triumphed in most events held throughout the meet, which took place at the Azman Hashim Sports Centre in Sibu Jaya near here.

The respective runners-up in the Open Boys category were Sukma Lugoss Athletics Team and Brunei Athletics, while placing respective second and third in the Open Girls category were Axis Track & Field and Sarikei Selected.

Overall, the championships gathered 900 junior athletes representing 49 teams.

In the Boys Under-14 category, SMK Sedaya lifted the winner’s trophy, edging the competition from the top contenders Kelab Olahraga Speed Force Miri and SMK Julau.

For the Girls Under-14 category, SMK Julau No 2 came out tops, leaving Awa Athletic Team Betong and SMK Chung Hua Miri as respective runners-up.

SK Merbau Miri boys and girls outperformed other teams to clinch the win in the Under-11 category.

The first runners-up of this category were SJK Yee Ting Kanowit (boys) and SK Kampung Senau Dalat (girls), while the second runners-up were SK SEDC Sibu (boys) and SJK Thian Chin Sibu (girls).

The open track and field event was organised by Sibu Amateur Athletic Association (SAAA), in collaboration with Sarawak Sports Corporation (SSC).

In his speech, Deputy Minister I for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak Dato Gerald Rentap Jabu said the objective of the championships was to unearth high-potential track and field talents for the next Sukma, to be hosted by Sarawak.

“I’m very encouraged to see that athletes from abroad, namely Brunei, are also taking part.

“For this meet, we have representatives from the sports schools in Tabuan Jaya. This is among the ways to expose these young athletes to participation in a tournament,” Rentap, who later presented the prizes, told reporters here.

Among the sponsors for the Sibu Open Track and Field Championships 2023 were KTS Sdn Bhd (100m Open and 800m), Ta Ann Holdings Bhd (100m, Under-14 and Under-11), McDonald’s (80m, 100m and 110 hurdles for Under-14 and Under-11), Hii King Leng Foundation (long jump for Open and Under-11 categories), and TN Sports (discus for Open and Under-14 categories).

Also present at the closing ceremony were SAAA president Dr Gregory Hii and Temenggong Dato Vincent Lau.