Malaysia Silambam Association President, Dr. M. Suraess, commended the stellar performance of the six national exponents, each securing two gold medals across the ‘Thanithiramai’ (individual artistic staff spinning) and ‘Poruthal’ (combat) categories.
The gold medallists include:
- Prakash (Men’s Open above 60kg category)
- Shastivena (Girls’ Under-17, 55kg-65kg category)
- Leenasree (Girls’ Under-15, 30kg-40kg category)
- Kavithira (Girls’ Under-15, 45kg-55kg category)
- Darnisha (Girls’ Under-15, 55kg-65kg category)
- Ranishaa (Girls’ Under-15, above 70kg category)
Dr. Suraess shared that hosts Qatar and the United Arab Emirates finished in second and third place respectively, while India and Saudi Arabia also participated in the tournament.
“This is a historic moment for Malaysia as we claimed the overall title,” he said. He also highlighted that the six athletes had previously secured medals at the Sukma Games in Sarawak earlier this year.
Silambam, a traditional Indian martial art that originated in Tamil Nadu, gained prominence in the 1960s and 1970s through the films of legendary actor M.G. Ramachandran.
Source / Image Credit : Bernama