KUALA LUMPUR: Pahang’s men’s hockey squad ended their 26-year wait for gold when they beat Johor 1-0 in the 20th Malaysia Games (Sukma) final at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalil here tonight.
Muhammad Idris Samad emerged the hero for Pahang by scoring the winning goal in the 59th minute.
Pahang coach Mohd Sufian Mohamad dedicated the victory to Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah for his unwavering support for Pahang hockey.
“This is the result of the Yang di-Pertuan Agong’s idea in establishing the Pahang hockey academy in 2013, with Tuanku setting a target for us to win gold at all age levels including in Sukma.
“This is Pahang’s best ever achievement and they have trained with me for 10 years. Alhamdullilah I managed to retain the players with the help of the Pahang Sports Council who sent them for exposure at the highest levels,” he told reporters here.
Perak won the bronze after defeating Terengganu 7-4.
Pahang last won the Sukma men’s hockey gold in 1996 when they hosted the biennial games.
In the 2018 edition in Perak, Pahang took silver after losing to Sabah in a penalty shootout in the final.
Earlier, the Pahang women’s hockey team also won gold by edging Selangor 2-1 in the final at the same venue.
The bronze medal went to the Federal Territories. - Bernama
