SHAH ALAM, Sept 10 (Bernama) -- Selangor para-swimmer Muhammad Safwan Suhaimi was named the Best Male Para Athlete of the 2026 Malaysia Para Games (Para SUKMA) Selangor after recording an outstanding performance by winning six gold medals and one bronze.
The recognition was announced at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Selangor Para SUKMA held at the Selangor International Trade Centre (SITC) here, further doubling the joy of the Selangor contingent, which was earlier also announced as the overall champion.
The 21-year-old athlete set two national records in the S9 (physical impairment) 100-meter (m) butterfly and the SM9/SM10 200m individual medley events, besides also breaking the championship record in the S9 100m backstroke event.
He also contributed gold medals in the S9 100m breaststroke, the 4x100m freestyle 34 points – mixed, and the 4x100m medley 34 points – mixed events, while another bronze medal came from the men's 4x100m medley 34 points event.
Commenting on the recognition, Safwan said the success was the result of his consistency and hard work since he began taking swimming seriously in 2022.
"At the 2022 Para SUKMA, I managed to win one gold and three silver medals, which to me was quite an extraordinary achievement. After that, I continued training and competed at the 2024 Sarawak Para SUKMA, winning four gold medals, three national records, and one championship record.
"I remained consistent for the 2026 Para SUKMA. Alhamdulillah, that effort paid off," he said when met.
Meanwhile, Sarawak para-athletics athlete Noshazwani Maisara Marzuki, 23, was named Best Female Para Athlete after winning two gold medals and one silver.
Noshazwani won the gold medals after breaking two championship records in the F37 (physical impairment) javelin throw and shot put events.
Her distance of 8.93m in the shot put event erased the old championship record of 7.25m.
Even more proudly, the 8.93m mark also placed Noshazwani among the top 10 in the world at the Paralympic level.
Meanwhile, the athlete won a silver medal through the F37 discus throw event.
Both athletes were unanimously chosen by the Selection Committee for the Best Athletes of the 2026 Selangor Para SUKMA Games, which was chaired by the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the 2026 Selangor SUKMA and Para SUKMA, Datuk Mohd Yazid Sairi.
-- BERNAMA