Sukma: Home shuttler Muhammad Haziq Mohd Najib hopes his maiden men's singles gold medal at the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) in Selangor 2026 will propel him towards a return to the Badminton Association of Malaysia (BAM). The 21-year-old, who is currently training with a local badminton club, overcame Negeri Sembilan's Ayu Fu Sheng 21-12, 15-21, 21-15 to cap off his first and final SUKMA appearance in style at Setia City Convention Centre, Setia Alam, here, today.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, the victory was particularly sweet for Muhammad Haziq, who admitted he did not expect to emerge champion after being handed what he considered a difficult draw en route to the final, including upsetting national shuttler from Kedah, Chong Lee Qian, 21-12, 20-22, 21-13 in the last four, yesterday. "I didn't think I would get gold. Now my target is to enter BAM and focus on making the country proud," he told reporters.
The independent player said he would not waste the opportunity should he be given another chance to prove himself at BAM, having previously spent a year there as a junior player in 2022. Commenting on his final match against Fu Sheng, the Puchong-born said he did not allow the challenge posed by his opponent to affect his approach, choosing instead to focus on his own game.
Meanwhile, bronze medal went to Kee Is Qian after brushing aside the challenge from Lee Qian 21-13, 21-17, in an all Kedahan-affair. In the meantime, national player Siti Zulaikha Muhammad Azmi delivered women's singles gold medal for Melaka after defeating Federal Territory's Lee Kay Xin 21-12, 21-15.
Siti Zulaikha, 20, said today's triumph, which saw her win her first-ever SUKMA gold medal, made up for her failure to secure a medal on her debut in 2022 and her absence from the 2024 edition due to injury. She also hoped that her achievement in what would be her final in the biennial Games, would motivate her to perform much better while representing the country.
Perak's Lee Mun triumphed against home shuttler Eng Ler Qi, 21-17, 21-17, to bag the bronze medal. SUKMA Selangor 2026, which kicked off Aug 15, ends today.