Kuala Lumpur: Malaysia’s failure to win the doubles gold at the 2025 Asia Cup Sepak Takraw Championship yesterday has boiled down to players making mistakes at critical moments. Beyond according blame, Malaysian Sepak Takraw Association (PSM) president Datuk Mohd Sumali Reduan, who in analysis was of that opinion, declared that his team would fix the delicate problem before the King’s Cup in July.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Sumali noted that the teams in the doubles event were evenly balanced, and any mistake could determine the outcome of the match. He acknowledged that there was significant room for improvement and emphasized that some errors made during key moments should not have occurred.

Malaysia’s hope of securing the doubles title, following its prior success in the quadrant event at the Asia Cup, was dashed when they lost 1-2 to their traditional rivals, Thailand, in the final. Despite this setback, Sumali expressed satisfaction with the national quadrant squad, praising their performance which delivered Malaysia’s first gold medal at the competition.

Sumali highlighted his focus on the men’s quadrant from the beginning, a strategy that proved successful. The national quadrant squad made history by defeating Japan 2-0 at the Titiwangsa Stadium, marking Malaysia’s inaugural gold at the 2025 Asia Cup. The team, consisting of Muhammad Afifuddin Mohd Razali, Amirul Zazwan Amir, Norfaizzul Abd Razak, and Muhammad Shahril Aiman Halim, secured victory in straight sets of 15-8, 15-11.

The competition format continues with the regu event starting today.