HANGZHOU — Malaysia needs just six more medals to meet the 27-medal target in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games after the e-sports camp delivered medal number 21 to the national contingent when they bagged bronze in the Dota2 game at the Hangzhou E-Sports Centre yesterday.

Malaysia, comprising Chan Kok Hong, Cheng Jin Xiang, Thiay Jun Wen, Ng Wei Poong and Yap Jian Wei, had no problem dispatching Kyrgyzstan, represented by Amanbek Iunusali Uulu, Abdyrakhman Raiapov, Kyialbek Taiirov, Bektur Kulov and Bakyt Emilzhanov, 2-0 in the bronze-medal playoff.

This is the second medal from the e-sports camp after the Arena of Valor team captured silver on Tuesday (Sept 26).

Malaysia missed out on clinching medal number 22 when elite diver Nur Dhabitah Sabri failed to notch her third medal after being pipped to the bronze in the last dive, resulting in her finishing fourth in the women’s 1-metre (m) springboard event at the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Centre Aquatics Sports Arena.

In athletics, national discus thrower Muhammad Irfan Shamsuddin and national woman pole vault Nor Sarah Adi failed to shine and they both finished sixth and last, respectively, at the Hangzhou Olympic Stadium.

However, the national men’s 4x100m quartet, comprising Khairul Hafiz Jantan, Muhammad Arsyad Md Saat, Jonathan Nyepa and Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi, managed to lift the gloom when they advanced to the final after clocking 39.40 seconds (s), which is the fourth fastest time.

China were the fastest, clocking 38.62, followed by South Korea (38.75s) and Japan (38.99s) in the first heat.

Meanwhile, the national archery camp reignited their medal hopes after their compound archers advanced to the quarter-finals of the mixed team event (Mohd Juwaidi Mazuki-Fatin Nurfatehah) and the men’s team event (Mohd Juwaidi, Alang Ariff Aqil Muhammad Ghaz and Mohamad Syafiq Md Ariffin).

Mohd Juwaidi also moved into the quarter-finals of the men’s individual compound event.

The national men’s hockey team, who won silver in the previous edition, have been forced to take a tougher route in their quest to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics when they failed to make the semi-finals after being held 4-4 by China in their final Group B match at the Gongshu Canal Sports Park Stadium.

With six more medals required, Malaysia can add to their medal collection in several other sports, among them the women’s 10m platform individual through Datuk Pandela Rinong, badminton, squash, speak takraw and karate, which will begin on Thursday (Oct 5).

Malaysia are now in 15th position in the medal standings with three golds, four silvers and 14 bronzes, with China sitting pretty at the top with a massive haul of 147-81-42, followed by Japan (33-44-45) and South Korea (31-39-63). — BERNAMA