KUALA LUMPUR, November 9, 2025 – Malaysia’s junior mixed petanque team earned a commendable silver medal after falling 2–13 to Thailand A in the final of the 6th Asian Petanque Championships held at the Arena Petanque Kuala Lumpur today.
The Thai side, led by world junior mixed precision shooting champions Suekham Pannada and Aramrod Saharat, demonstrated their class after an evenly contested start. Malaysia’s quartet — Muhammad Aidil Zakri Junaidi, Muhammad Arsyad Muhammad Tajuddin, Siti Noor Ellyshatul Balqish Suhaimi, and Nur Erissya Najwa Helmey — managed to level the score at 1–1 early in the match before Thailand pulled ahead 6–1, extended the lead to 10–2, and eventually sealed victory in dominant fashion.
Although the gold medal proved elusive, the silver marks a major achievement for Malaysia’s young debutants on the Asian stage.
“We gave it our all, but luck wasn’t on our side,” said Arsyad after the match. “We tried to rely on long throws, but they didn’t go as planned, while the Thai players were very precise with their shots. There’s still room to improve — especially in pointing techniques like control, spin, and lift. Despite the disappointment, reaching the final in our first major outing together is something to be proud of. It motivates us to come back stronger.”
National junior coach Muhd Nuzul Azwan Ahmad Temizi praised the team’s composure and fighting spirit throughout the competition despite limited preparation time.
“This team was only formed in July, and most of the training sessions were conducted online,” he explained. “Our players have strong foundations through the SUKMA development programme, but they lack international exposure compared to Thailand, who fielded two world champions. Considering that, their performance was impressive. This silver medal proves that Malaysia’s junior petanque development programme is moving in the right direction.”
Earlier, Malaysia also secured bronze medals in both the men’s and women’s triple events after losing their respective semi-final matches to Cambodia. The men’s B team comprised Mohd Muqri Arif Mohd Sapiny, Khairul Amirul Zamrul Hisyam, Muhd Idham Shahrulzahari, and Muhd Nuzul Azwan, while the women’s team featured Sharifah Aqilah Farhana Syed Ali, Nur Thahira Tasnim Abdul Aziz, Siti Asiah Zaini, and Nur Iman Aina Ahmad Sabti.
Malaysia enjoyed a strong start to the tournament, with Nur Iman Aina Ahmad Sabti, Muhd Harith Muhaimin Hafaizul, and Muhd Nuzul Azwan claiming two silvers and one bronze in the precision shooting events.
Overall, the national contingent concluded the championship with three silver and three bronze medals, placing fourth overall — a promising result ahead of next month’s SEA Games in Thailand. Thailand emerged as the overall champion with three gold medals, followed by Cambodia with two golds and one silver, while Indonesia took one gold and one bronze.