Philomena accepts her trophy from ABBF Women’s Committee chairperson Ines Yeung.
KUCHING (Sept 6): It was another successful day for Team Malaysia at the 55th Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships in Kathmandu, Nepal where they not only secured three more gold medals, but also set the record of first Sarawakian woman to clinch a title in the regional competition.
Bidayuh musclewoman Philomena Dexclyn Siar, 40, started the day’s gold medal collection by winning the Women’s Sports Physique (Over 165cm) event, where Nguyen Thi Kim Cuong of Vietnam and Ajaree Tansub of Thailand placed second and third respectively.
“I’m having a mix of feelings now – happy, emotional, gratitude, and relief!
“I do feel blessed to have finally achieved what I have worked really hard for, which is getting my first gold medal in the Asian championships,” the state government administrative officer told The Borneo Post via WhatsApp today.
The Kathmandu outing was Philomena’s third appearance in the Asian championships – she was in the Top 5 for both the 2019 edition in Batam (Indonesia) and in Maldives last year.
Her international debut was at an open tournament held in Singapore five years ago.
Prior to Nepal, Philomena’s best achievement in this sport was a silver medal at the 16th South East Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships in Yangon, Myanmar in 2019.
“Now, I am all fired up for the world championships in South Korea this November,” she said.
Philomena strikes a special pose after winning her category at the Asian championships in Kathmandu.
Apart from Philomena, Mohd Syarul Azman Mahen Abdullah and Ahmad Faiz Ariffin also claimed gold medals for Team Malaysia on Day 2 of the championships late Tuesday.
Syarul Azman topped the Men’s Athletic Physique Up To 167cm event, where Abdullah Ahsan of Maldives and Amal Anil Kumar of India were second and third.
Ahmad Faiz was triumphant in the Men’s Athletic Physique Up To 175cm, with Tanakrid Boonsri of Thailand and Son Donghwi of South Korea getting the silver and bronze medals.
Another Sarawakian in Team Malaysia, Dr Malvern Abdullah, staged a commendable fight in the Men’s Athletic Physique Up To 160cm event, where he grabbed the silver medal. The gold and bronze medallists for this category were Pongsiri Prommachan of Thailand and Fathuhulla Mohamed of Maldives.
Team Malaysia ended their Kathmandu campaign with a collection of four gold, one silver and three bronze medals.
Buda Anchah clinched the Men’s Masters Bodybuilding (Age Group 50-60) title on Day 1 of the competition late Monday. Before that, he also won the bronze medal for the Men’s Bodybuilding 65kg event.
Azri Asmat Sefri and Amin Rasuad Sidek also collected bronze medals from their respective Men’s Bodybuilding 55kg and 70kg categories.
Malvern receives his trophy from WBPF International judge Lim Woen Jieh.
Three other Malaysians – Zmarul Al-Adam Pulutan Abdullah, Syed Faizal Syed Ali, and Muhamad Shaiful Hisyam Abd Aziz – managed to place in the Top 5 of their respective events.
India bagged this year’s ‘Best Men’s Team’ award, while Thailand received the ‘Best Women’s Team’ honour.
The most coveted title, ‘Mr Asia 2023 Champion of Champions’, went to Sarvanan Mani of India.
Organised by the Nepal Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation under the auspices of the Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation (ABBF) and sanctioned by the World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation (WBPF), the 55th Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships gathered over 500 athletes and officials representing 25 countries from across the continent.
Next year, Batam will host the 56th edition of the Asian championships.