BIRMINGHAM, Aug 5 — The national contingent are short of just two gold medals to meet their six-gold target at the ongoing Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games here.
The outstanding achievement of national powerlifting ace Bonnie Bunyau Gustin in bagging a gold medal on Day Seven (Aug 4) means Malaysia now have a 4-2-3 medal haul.
As expected, the world powerlifting ace had no problems coming out tops in the men’s lightweight below 72-kilogramme (kg) category to become the first Malaysian to win the powerlifting event at the Commonwealth Games.
Malaysian sports fans’ hopes of seeing national diving queen Datuk Pandelela Rinong deliver a medal in the women’s 10-metre (m) platform individual at the quadrennial Games here were dashed when the 29-year-old could only finish 11th out of 12 divers.
Australia continued to top the medal tally after raking in 50 golds, 42 silvers and 40 bronzes, leaving hosts England (42-44-32) in second spot and Canada (17-20-22) third.
At the end of Day Seven, Malaysia are in 10th spot in the medal standings.
On Day Eight (Aug 5), Malaysian sports fans will be counting on lawn bowlers Nur Ain Nabilah Tarmizi, Syafiqa Haidar Afif Abdul Rahman and Azlina Arshad, who have qualified for the women’s triples semi-finals, to go one step further and nail another gold medal for the country.
The Malaysians will take on New Zealand’s Nicole Toomey-Tayla Bruce-Val Smith in the triples semi-finals.
Day Eight will also see the diving combinations of Gabriel Gilbert Daim-Muhammad Syafiq Puteh and Ooi Tze Liang-Chew Yiwei battling it out in the men’s 3m springboard synchronised event while rhythmic gymnasts Ng Joe Ee and Izzah Amzan will compete in the all-around individual final. — Bernama
