M'sian men's dodgeball team capture world title in Canada

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia captured the men's World Dodgeball Championships gold medal for the third time after beating Australia 10-5 at the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton, Canada on Sunday (Monday morning Malaysian time).

The Malaysian men's team, ranked world number one, had also emerged champions in 2017 and 2018.

In the 2019 championships held in Cancun, Mexico, Malaysia managed only the silver after losing to Canada in the final.

Led by the tournament's men's Most Valuable Player, Carlos Goonting, Malaysia topped their group with four wins and one draw, and saw off Canada in the semi-finals en route to the final.

Malaysia, making their first appearence in the mixed foam event, also produced a superb display to win the silver medal after a 3-5 defat to host Canada, while the women's team, who were title winners in 2016 and 2017, narrowly missed out on a medal finish after losing to Australia 3-7 in the bronze medal playoff.

Malaysian Association of Dodgeball (MAD) president Datuk V. Radhakrishnan said it was a proud moment for the country as the title came just days after the nation had celebrated the 65th Independence Day.

"We are very proud of our teams achievements as we faced some of the world's best teams. The team will be rewarded accordingly. I also want to thank our coaches for their excellent work on preparing our team. Syabas!

"We are also very proud that a player from the men's team, Carlos Goonting was awarded the Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. I would like to thank The Youth and Sports Ministry (KBS), National Sports Institute (NSI), Berjaya Corporation, Black Box and all other sponsors for their undivided support," said Radhakrishnan in a statement today.

-- BERNAMA