National women hockey player Siti Rahmah Othman is confident of the Malaysian Tigress defending the field hockey gold medal in the Kuala Lumpur 2017 29th SEA Games despite the strong challenge expected from Thailand.

“We played well in two international tournaments in the last seven months – World League Round 2 in Kuala Lumpur and World League Semi-Finals (Brussels). I believe we have the experience and players to reach the final and win gold,” said Siti Rahmah, a defender with the national team for 14 years.

“Playing in front of home fans will also boost our confidence. The National Hockey Stadium has been our playground over the years and this is an advantage to us,” she said, adding that they expect Thailand to be the strongest opposition in the Games.

The other teams competing in field hockey which will be held at the National Hockey Stadium in Bukit Jalilfrom Aug 22-29 are Indonesia, Singapore and Myanmar while indoor hockey, introduced for the first time in the Games, will be held at the MATRADE Exhibition and Convention Centre in Kuala Lumpur from Aug 21-26.

Malaysia Tigress are placed 22 in the latest FIH World Rankings while the Thais are ranked 32. The last time the two nations met was at the Women World League Round 2 at the TunRazak Stadium on Jan 19 with the Malaysians pulling off 3-0 victory in the quarterfinals.

The Malaysians won gold medals six times since women hockey was introduced in the SEA Games in 1993. They emerged champions in 1997 (Jakarta), 1999 (Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei), 2001 (Kuala Lumpur), 2007 (Korat, Thailand), 2013 (Naypyidaw, Myanmar) and 2015 (Singapore) and were runner-up in 1993 and 1995. – BY HUSNIYAH GHAZALI

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