Malaysia beat Thailand to end 36-year wait for sepak takraw gold
Malaysia last won gold in the men’s team regu event at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games.
Malaysia's men's sepak takraw team achieved a historic milestone after triumphing over Thailand 2-0 in the final of the 2026 Asian Games held at Nagoya City Mizuho Arena in Japan. This victory brought an end to a 36-year drought for the team regu gold medal, the last of which was secured at the 1990 Beijing Asian Games when Malaysia defeated Thailand in the final.
The Golden Tigers' achievement mirrors the feat they accomplished eight years ago, marking Malaysia's fourth gold medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games. Prior to this, the team had dominated the podium twice in karate and once in e-sports. The team's strong start came from the first regu, in which Syahir Rosdi, Farhan Adam, and Azlan Alias outplayed Thailand's Marukin Phanmakon, Putawan Sopa, and Pornthep Tingbangbon 15-9, 5-15, 15-11, securing the first point.
The team's dominance continued with the second regu, where Zulkifli Razak, Aidil Aiman Azwawi, and Afifudin Razali outmaneuvered Thailand's Kritsanapong Nontakote, Tanaphon Sapyen, and Wuttinu Kamsanor 15-13, 15-10, in a straight sets victory. This victory marked Malaysia's second consecutive win over Thailand in a major multi-sport tournament's team regu final, following their success at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand in December.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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