Malaysian Takraw Makes History At 2024 World Cup By Beating Thailand Twice
This is the first time the national sepak takraw team produced such a victory.
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Malaysia’s national sepak takraw teams created history after winning the double championship in the 2024 World Cup at the Titiwangsa Stadium.
The national doubles team, consisting of Aidil Aiman Azwawi and Mohd Nordin, clinched the first victory for the country.
They overcame the Thai team despite having a challenging first set.
The glory continued when the national triple squad scored victory, again over Thailand, in the competition’s final match, solidifying their dominance.
To defeat the White Elephant team, the national three, consisting of Farhan Adam, Syahir Rosdi, and Azlan Alias (Haziq Hairul Nizam) put on a fantastic show.
The gold medals in the doubles and trio events were the first for Malaysia in the World Cup competition since it was introduced in 2011.
Trio glory
In the action of the first set, the cheering of the supporters present at the stadium became fuel for the national team when they managed to lead Thailand with a score of 15-8.
The Thai squad was seen trying to bounce back after the first-set’s defeat by trying to drag the match to a deciding set in the second action.
Even so, the greatness of the national trio cannot be denied when they managed to close the curtain on the match that night with a 15-12 victory over Thailand.
The last time the Malaysian sepak takraw squad successfully defeated Thailand was in the 2015 ISTAF Super Series competition in Melaka.
In yesterday’s match, the Minister of Youth and Sports, Hannah Yeoh, and the Deputy Minister of Public Works, Datuk Seri Ahmad Maslan, were present.
In a Facebook post, Yeoh expressed her congratulations to the national team for making the country proud on the international stage.
“Well done and congratulations to the national sepak takraw team. It was indeed a special victory,” she said in the post.
Sepak Takraw
Once upon a time, there was a game called “sepak raga” played by people in Singapore, Brunei and the Malay states.
The word “sepak” is Malay for kick. Raga means basket and is possibly used to refer to the ball because like the baskets in those days, the ball is made from weaving rattan.
It involved players standing in a circle and trying to maintain the “rattan ball” in the air for as long as possible without using their hands.
The game is also played in Thailand where it’s called “takraw”, Sepa Sepa” in the Philippines, “Ching Loong” in Myanmar, “Rago” in Indonesia, and “Kator” in Laos.
The earliest evidence of the game can be traced back to the 15th century in Melaka and has undergone significant changes in the mid-1930s when it was introduced during King George V’s Silver Jubilee celebration in Negeri Sembilan.
The game was known as “Sepak Raga Jubilee” due to its unique combination of badminton and “Sepak Raga” rules.
The development of modern sepak takraw is believed to be primarily due to three individuals from Penang.
In February 1945, Hamid Maidin introduced a net (Jaring) and rules similar to volleyball, inviting Mohamad Abdul Rahman and Syed Yaacob to try this new twist.
The first official competition was held on May 16, 1945, at a Swim Club in Penang, where teams from Malay villages competed for the Nyak Din Nyak Sham Trophy.
The game spread quickly throughout the Malay Peninsula and South East Asia, becoming popular in schools with badminton courts by the late 1950s.
Soccer players often played the game, as they could easily master the skills involved.
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