Year in Review: Golden haul at KL2017

KUALA LUMPUR: For the first time in 16 years Malaysia was the host of the regional SEA Games this year. It was also a very special year to be hosting the games as it was staged during Malaysia's 60th year of independence.
It turned out to be a landmark Games for Malaysian athletes as Malaysia emerged the overall champion with their best ever outing at the biennial event with 145 gold, 92 silver and 86 bronze medals.
With 145 gold medals, it easily surpassed the record of 111 they achieved in 2001 when they last hosted the Games.
The hosts began their collection with the first gold of the Games, won 100 gold medals before other nations, hit their target with a world champion's victory, and finally earned their final three in speed skating – one of the new sports contested for the first time this year.
One of the best achievements was the gold-medal victory of the Sultan of Terengganu, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin, in a record-breaking feat in the equestrian endurance race.
Malaysia's 145th and final gold of the games was won by the men's speed skating quartet of Wong De-Vin, Ariff Rasydan Fadzli, Hazim Shahrum and Khairil Ridhwan Khalil, who finished ahead of second-placed Singapore.
Malaysia also scored gold medals in archery, squash, gymnastics and bowling to name a few. Team Malaysia also made huge strides in athletics and karate.
Malaysian sprinter Khairul Hafiz Jantan won the SEA Games 100m final at Stadium Nasional in Bukit Jalil.
He clocked 10.38 seconds to bag the gold medal.
Khairul Hafiz also recently clocked a personal best of 20.90 seconds to break the men's 200m national record.
On the other hand, Malaysia earned a new crowd favourite in football hero N. Thanabalan, whose exploits with the national team were one of the standout performances.
However, Thailand claimed the mens football gold medal of the 2017 Kuala Lumpur SEA Games after edging host Malaysia 1-0 in a disappointing final at the Shah Alam Stadium on Aug 29.
In the final game, Malaysia goalkeeper Haziq Nadzli ended up the villain after accidentally punching the ball into his own net from a corner kick in the 39th minute.
The Malaysian team last won the gold medal in the 2011 Jakarta SEA Games, while Thailand are the defending champions.
Although Malaysia topped the medals table in the biennial regional gathering with 145 golds a female diver, a gold medalist at the Kuala Lumpur-hosted Southeast Asian Games in Aug, tested positive for banned weight-loss drug sibutramine at a New Delhi laboratory came as a surprise to many Malaysians.
The sporting event plunged to a low when Malaysia's Wendy Ng Yan Yee (diving) was found with banned substance sibutramine at a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) laboratory in New Delhi on Oct 11.
Sibutramine is an appetite suppressant which is commonly found in weight loss supplements.
Wendy had to give up two gold medals she won in the women's 3m springboard individual and 3m springboard synchro with Nur Dhabitah Sabri.
The 24-year-old, admitted she was sad her KL2017 SEA Games gold has been stripped off but she stayed determined to fight for Malaysia.
The two-time Olympian — 2012 London and 2016 Rio — Wendy was reported said she is shocked too (about being tested positive).
"But I won't give up. I hope to be given a chance to compete at Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in April and Jakarta Asian Games in Aug.
"As for now, I have no clue on how long the ban is but I still have the fighting spirit for my country," she said.
The Southeast Asian Games Federation (SEAGF) on Dec 13 revealed that three athletes including Wendy failed doping tests at the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Sea Games (KL2017).
Besides Wendy, two Thai athletes Nurisan Loseng (pencak silat) and Benjaporn Sriphanomthorn (swimming) also failed the "B sample" test conducted by WADA in New Delhi on Oct 11.
SEAGF president Tan Sri Tunku Imran Tuanku Jaafar said their victories and medals would be withdrawn.