M`SIAN ATHLETICS SQUAD GET OFF TO A ROUSING START

BY HILARY SEBASTIAN

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysia's paralympic athletics squad got
off to a rousing start and won four gold medals on the opening day of the 5th
Asean Para Games at the National Stadium in Bukit Jalil here Saturday.

Sprinter Mohd Hisham Khaironi got things going when he bagged the first
after clocking 11.72 seconds in the men's 100m T12 event.

However, Hisham failed to break the Games record of 11.56s set by Kajornvech
Chararn of Thailand at the 2005 Manila Para Games.

Thailand's Jirawat Misuk (11.85s) won the silver while Dawat Martin of
Brunei Darussalam (12.23s) settled for the bronze.

Next it was Haridas Krishna Kumar's turn in the men's 100m T38. He clocked
13.03s while compatriot Jamaluddin Amir Firdaus (13.34s) snatched the silver and
Philipines' Ducay Sixto (14.10s) the bronze.

In the men's 100m T36 final which was only competed by two Malaysians, Mohd
Raduan Emeari clinched the third gold for Malaysia while Md. Redzuan Mohd Pozi
had to be contented with the silver.

Tan Lee Mei delivered the fourth gold in the women's discus throw F11 when
she made a throw of 20.25m, which also erased the Games' previous record of
20.12m.

Malaysian Tiong Ley King and Raksabiri Sawad of Thailand won the silver and
bronze respectively.

Malaysia's other medal contributors were Nurul Fazirah Hussin (a silver in
the women's 100m F46) while bronze medals were won by Adzhori Jamil (men's
discus throw F11), Eryamto Bahtiar (men's long jump F46), Ibrahim Abdullah
(men's 100m F13), Nursyatawati Arshukri (women's 100m F13) and Rachel Batricia
(women's javelin F46).
-- BERNAMA