Kuala lumpur: Malaysia's hopes of winning the men's 3x3 wheelchair basketball gold medal were dashed when they lost 11-13 to the Philippines in the semi-finals of the ASEAN Para Games (APG) Thailand 2025 at Terminal 21 Korat here today. Malaysia, however, are still in the running for the bronze medal, thereby repeating their feat at the 2023 edition in Cambodia.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, what made their defeat by the Philippines today a bitter pill to swallow is that they let slip the chance of victory with mistakes at crucial moments, enabling the Filipinos to set up a gold medal showdown against hosts Thailand. Malaysian coach Lim Ming Lip expressed his thoughts on the outcome: "Actually, we could have beaten the Philippines. At one time, we were leading, but at crucial moments, our players failed to control the game. But I won't blame the players."

Coach Lim highlighted the key issue of losing possession: "We lost possession of the ball many times, allowing our opponents to regain control and have the upper hand." Despite the loss, Lim noted improvements in the team's performance compared to the group stage, especially in terms of starting strong. He also mentioned that three players were battling a fever and were on medication, which impacted their performance.

Earlier, in Group A matches, Malaysia suffered two defeats - 8-14 to Thailand and 7-11 to the Philippines - before bouncing back to beat Indonesia 10-6. Malaysia are slated to meet Indonesia in the bronze medal playoff on Wednesday (Jan 21). Ming Lip emphasized that winning the bronze medal would still be a significant achievement, acknowledging the long-term investment made in the 3x3 format through participation in various tournaments ahead of the biennial Games.