Malaysian Men's Dodgeball Team Bags World Title In Canada For The Third Time
Malaysia Boleh!
And the winner is... Malaysia, again!
The world of sports is being claimed by Malaysian excellence, one field at a time. As of yesterday, 5 September, team Malaysia won the men's World Dodgeball Championships gold medal for the third time, after beating Australia in a score of 10-5.
Held at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton, Canada, this marks the third time team Malaysia has emerged as champions, after winning in 2017 and 2018 in back-to-back competitions.
Currently, the Malaysian men's team is ranked world number one for dodgeball.
Earning one title after another, Carlos Goonting, who led the team to victory, also won the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award for the men's category
Overall, Malaysia topped their group with a total of four wins and one draw, seeing off team Canada in the semi-finals to make their way to the last round.
This marks a stellar and impressive comeback for team Malaysia, who in 2019, lost to Canada in the final and claimed silver in Cancun, Mexico.
Beyond the accomplishment of the men's team, this year also marked Malaysia's first appearance for the mixed foam event
Steadfast for their first year in the ring, the Malaysian team managed to snatch the silver medal after a narrow defeat by host country, Canada, in a score of 3-5.
Meanwhile, the women's team, who were the champions in 2016 and 2017, narrowly missed out on the bronze medal after losing to Australia at a score of 3-7.
President of the Malaysian Association of Dodgeball (MAD), Datuk V Radhakrishnan, said it was a proud moment for the country, with the title coming home a few days after Independence Day
In a statement to Bernama, Radhakrishnan stated, "We are very proud of our teams achievements as we faced some of the world's best teams. The team will be rewarded accordingly. I also want to thank our coaches for their excellent work in preparing our team. Syabas!"
"We are also very proud that a player from the men's team, Carlos Goonting, was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. I would like to thank The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS), National Sports Institute (NSI), Berjaya Corporation, Black Box, and all other sponsors for their undivided support," he added.
Lee Chong Wei gave his heartfelt praise for Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik after they won the world championship title: