Disclaimer: In Real Life is a platform for everyday people to share their experiences and voices. All articles are personal stories and do not necessarily echo In Real Life’s sentiments.
We all know about our world champions in fields like badminton and squash. Lee Chong Wei and Nicol David are household names and we celebrate their triumphs and achievements with great pride.
The movie Ola Bola also helped to bring our attention back to our football team (and hopefully revive it to its former glory), but did you know that there are other sports that Malaysians aren’t talking enough about?
Here are some athletes and teams that have done us proud, taking Malaysia all the way to the world stage and showing everyone that we can stand and compete with the best!
1. Dodgeball
Source: dodgeball malaysia facebook
Honestly, I always saw dodgeball as something that only happens in American shows, for the bullying scenes where the hapless main character has dozens of balls thrown at him as he cowers wretchedly on the court.
I remember being really surprised when I saw the news that the Malaysian women’s team beat Canada and took the gold at the finals of the Dodgeball World Championships 2016 in Australia. Our men’s team didn’t fare badly either, bagging a cool silver medal.
In a statement on the official Facebook page, the champions left this message, “Thank you Malaysia. Thank you to everyone who supported us. Thank you to the players who showed relentlessness. Thank you Malaysian Association of Dodgeball (MAD) for bringing Malaysian dodgeball to where it is now.”
2. Wushu
Source: the star
This form of contemporary Chinese martial arts incorporates elements of self-defence with performance. Wushu encompasses different martial art styles, including weapon-play styles with bare hands.
Chances are you would probably have come across Chinese movies from the 90s, where Hong Kong actors Jet Li and Donnie Yen helped to revive wushu by using many techniques like acrobatics, spins and high kicks in their films.
The Malaysian wushu team has been making a name for themselves for a while now, and some notable mentions include Diana Bong, Tan Cheong Min, Wong Weng Son and Loh Jack Chang.
Diana Bong might be a more familiar name to some, having been part of the national team since 2004. Even though she’s retired since then, she remains active and a legend in the national wushu coaching scene.
3. Silat
Source: the leaders online
Like other forms of Asian martial arts, the millenia-old Malay silat is equally popular and effective in exhibitions for entertainment as it is for actual combat.
It is also popularly incorporated in a variety of non-combative activities – major sporting events, physical education, weddings, official launches, as well as in dance and drama, often accompanied by traditional Malay music.
One of the most difficult parts of silat training is the footwork, so much so that it is often a component by itself. Once mastered, the foot movements are gradually weaved into the rest of the training until the end result is a seamless whole.
Advanced silat students also learn the use of certain weapons for defence. These include the keris, various knives, ropes and tongkat.
4. MotoGP
Source: the sun daily
Another history-maker, Khairul Idham Pawi, known as a wet-weather specialist, is the first Malaysian to win the MotoGP World Championship, taking first place at the Moto3 race at the rainy Argentina Motorcycle Grand Prix in April 2016.
“Obviously, I am really happy and grateful to get this result today. It feels great to get my first win,” said Khairul, in the post-race television interview.
Although motorsports talk here is often dominated by F1, there is still a fairly active local scene. Many find their way to it through go-karting.
5. Dota 2
Source: the star
Now this is where Malaysians easily forget that e-sports is also a gigantic part of the national sporting industry, where some would argue that it’s not regarded as a “real sport” or that it doesn’t even come close to the glory our legends have achieved for the Jalur Gemilang.
In 2016, an e-sports team made Malaysian headlines when they reached 4th place in a Dota 2 tournament held in Seattle, USA. This win bagged the gaming team, Fnatic, RM5.6mil of prize money. They didn’t get the first prize, but their achievements are impressive enough as it is.
At that time, the team consisted of four Malaysians: Chai Yee Fung (Mushi), Yeik Zheng Nai (MidOne), Khoo Chong Xin (Ohaiyo) & Adam Erwann Shah (343), and one player from the Philippines, Djardel Jicko Mampusti (DJ).
One of the team members, Ohaiyo, spoke to the press about the life as a pro-gamer: “Most of the pros have to sacrifice their personal life to train, which takes up more than 10 hours a day,” he said. He added that the gruelling schedule makes it very difficult to spend time with family and friends.
How about that for “not a real sport”?
They have certainly made us proud, and more
Of course, we couldn’t name all of the niche sports that have put us Malaysians on the international stage. But if there’s one thing that all of them have in common, it’s that all these athletes have worked very hard to be where they are. They definitely deserve more recognition for their contributions.
We hope to see even more stellar performances from them in the future!
For more stories like this, read: Of Makeup and Scuba Diving – Shirley Wee Shares Her Beauty Secrets and Love for Sports and Beware: I Was Scammed Out Of RM 1,100 When Someone Pretended To Be My Boss
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