17. September 2004  
Kuala Lumpur / Malaysia  
Artistic Gymnastics

South-East Asian Juniors: Mixed fortunes for Malaysian girls

Nurul Fatiha (MAS)
... left the national team!

The 6th South-East Asian Gymnastics Confederation (SEAGON) Junior Championships
was a huge success for the Malaysian girls- but also a huge disappointment, too...

While the rhythmic gymnasts swept the board, winning all six gold medals and four silvers and two bronzes as well, the artistic gymnasts were a huge failure and were obviously way behind their regional rivals....

Golden girl: 22nd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games gold medalist Do Thi Ngan Thuong bagged three golds for Vietnam
VNA/VNS Photo Trong Duc

The girls artistic squad had nothing to show. The four juniors, Tan Kai Ling, Chan Sau Wah, Noor Hasleen Satihin and Chong Sue Jinn, who were roped into the national junior squad just a year ago, failed to even win a bronze medal.
After producing Olympian like Au Li Yen, SEA Games gold medallist Lim Wai Chi, Ernadia Os'Hara and the Chang sisters Zhi Wei and Siew Ting, the production line has come to a standstill and disaster awaits at next year's Manila SEA Games for the women's artistic team.
The Vietnam SEA Games individual all-around gold medallist Nurul Fatiha Abdul Hamid is the only gymnast left in the national team but she has been suffering from a nagging ankle injury.

Malaysian Gymnastics Federation (MGF) secretary N. Shanmugarjah admitted that they had to act quickly to find new blood.
“There is a decline in the standard of the women's artistic compared to the men's artistic and the rhythmic gymnasts. We are on the right track for the Manila SEA Games in the men's artistic and rhythmic but not in the women's artistic,” he said. “This decline is of great concern for the MGF. At the SEA Games in Hanoi, they (the women's artistic) failed to defend the overall title.”
“We have Nurul in the national team but she is down with injury. Some of our junior gymnasts are also facing similar situations. We have to look at whether these gymnasts are beyond rehabilitation or whether the coaches are 'overloading' them in training,” he added. Malacca's top three athletes, Nabihah Ali, Tracie Ang and Cheong See Teng, who among them won six gold medals for their state in the Malaysian Games (Sukma) in Negri Sembilan, did not take part in SEAGON. National junior Nabihah is nursing an injury while both Tracie and See Teng are under-aged for the junior meet. The meet is for athletes aged between 12 and 18.

The Malaysian boys artistic team won four of the eight gold medals and showed there were on the right track.
In the three-day junior meet, Yap Kiam Bun and Wan Siti Haniza Wan Izhar were the top performers in the boys' artistic and rhythmic competitions.
Kiam Bun bagged two gold medals (individual all-around and pommel horse) while Siti Haniza pocketed four gold medals (individual all-around, rope, club and team). Jaime Lee also won three gold medals (ball, ribbon and team).
Source: The Maulaysian Star, by RAJES PAUL

GOLDEN BOYS: Malaysian gymnasts (from left) Azzam Azmi, Mohd Shahril Johari, Ng Shu Man and Yap Kiam Bun

14-Sep-2004
South-East Asian Juniors: Kiam Bun grabs all-around gold
National gymnast Yap Kiam Bun outshone compatriot Ng Shu Man to take the individual artistic all-around gold medal on the first day of the South-East Asian Gymnastics Confederation Junior Championships at the Putra Stadium of Kuala Lumpur.
Kiam Bun and Shu Man were in a class of their own when they finished with 54.425 and 52.325 points respectively. Kittipong Yudee of Thailand was a distant third with a score of 49.375.

Kiam Bun won his second gold medal of the day when he led Malaysia to victory in the team artistic event.
In the girls’ competition, Malaysia took the bronze medal in the artistic team event.
BOYS' Results
Team artistic:
1. Malaysia 158.150pts, 2 Vietnam 129.350, 3. Singapore 110.225.
Individual all-around:
1. Yap Kiam Bun (MAS) 54.425pts, 2. Ng Shu Man (MAS) 52.325, 3. Kittipong Yudee (THA) 49.375.

GIRLS' Results
Team artistic:
1. Philippines 91.525pts, 2. Vietnam 91.225, 3. Malaysia 86.425.
Individual all-around:
1. Emille Christa Santos (PHI) 30.950pts, 2. Phan Thi Ma Thanh (VIE) 30.925, 3 Tabitha Tay Jia Hui (SIN) 30.800.
Source: the star / photo: STARpic by I. Montar