THE Penang contingent returned from Kuching today with heads held high, having finished in fourth place with 41 gold, 45 silver, and 52 bronze medals, surpassing their target of 40 gold medals at the 21st Malaysia Games (Sukma XX1).
Harry Chai Heng Hua, the director of the Penang State Sports Council, congratulated the team officials, coaches, athletes and consultants for the strong showing. However, he reminded them not to rest on their laurels.
“With Selangor holding the next Sukma edition in 2026, we must work even harder to keep the momentum going.
“We want to sustain the level of performance and aim for a top five ranking. Coaches must prepare their athletes thoroughly and anticipate the challenges they will face. In short, we must strive for continuous improvement,” Chai said.
Chai also emphasised that Penang will focus on Sukma’s 28 core sports, for which they have ongoing development programmes.
At the just concluded Sarawak Sukma, Penang participated in 35 of the 37 sports, missing only softball and netball.
Host Sarawak emerged as the overall champions with 75 gold, 55 silver and 70 bronze medals, followed by Federal Territory Kuala Lumpur (75-65-72) and Selangor (56-64-61).
“I am overwhelmed by the efforts and fighting spirit shown by the team in their pursuit of medals. Despite facing a lot of obstacles along the way, our athletes were very determined, which led to us exceeding our goal.
“It never crossed our minds that we would finish ahead of Terengganu, Johor and Sabah,” Chai added.
Athletes from four sports – judo, boxing, chess and gymnastics – gave Penang plenty to cheer as they emerged overall champions in their respective sports, significantly boosting the medal haul.
Adding to the success, three Penang athletes set new Sukma records. Swimmer Tong Yu Jing swam the men’s 50m freestyle in 23.06s, heptathlete Melissa En Xuan Chong registered 4,665 points and decathlete Wilson Quaik Zhen Han scored 6,320 points.
Chess, making its debut in Sarawak, saw a rising star in Penang’s 15-year-old Poh Yu Tian, who became the youngest Malaysian to attain the International Masters’ title in July. Yu Tian clinched three gold medals in the Rapid Men’s, Rapid Team and Blitz Men’s events.
Another memorable triumph came in the men’s sepak takraw event where the Penang team won the gold medal by beating Selangor 2-0, ending a 24-year gold drought. Penang last won the title in 2000 as the host.
Penang’s impressive showing in Sarawak was the result of two years of consistent preparation, with a focus on discipline and a rigorous selection process.
Looking ahead, Chai said that after conducting a post-mortem, Penang will continue to develop its current talents and scout for new ones as it prepares for Sukma 2026 in Selangor.
Story by K.H. Ong
Pix by Adleena Rahayu Ahmad Radzi, Muhamad Amir Irsyad Omar, Siew Chia En and MSNPP