FARAH Ann Abdul Hadi retained the floor exercise gold medal as the hosts picked up a silver and bronze along the way on the final day of men and women‘s artistic gymnastics events at the Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday (Aug 23).
She won the gold with a score of 13.450 points, ahead of Philippines’ Kaitlin Cera Lianne De La Cruz (13.025pts) and Indonesia’s Rifda Irfanaluthfi (13.000pts) in second and third respectively.
However, it was a heart-breaking moment for Tan Ing Yueh, a member of the Malaysian artistic contingent that won the overall team gold three days ago and the individual vault gold on Tuesday.
Ing Yueh’s also won gold in the balance beam event held earlier in the day but it was later reduced to silver following a protest from the Indonesians.
She was awarded the gold ahead of Indonesian Rifda Irfanaluthfi.
However, upon protest by the Indonesians who paid USD$200 appeal fees, the judges reviewed the decision and found that the appeal was justified.
Rifda’s score was revised from 13.025 points to 13.125 and Ing Yueh scores now read 13.100 points. The gold was awarded to Rifda instead. Kaitlin Cera Lianne De La Cruz of the Philippines took bronze while another Malaysian, Tracie Ang, finished in the seventh with a total score of 11.050 points.
Team manager Azmi Hassan, said: “We are not disappointed with the revision in the judges’ decision. Off course we feel for Ing Yueh ‘loss’ but we need to respect the judges’ decision. We had set a four-gold target and eventually won five.”
The artistic gymnastics competition ended its campaign in KL2017 on Wednesday with five gold medals, four silvers, and two bronze from both the men’s and women’s squad.
The men’s high bar event saw 2015 Games gold medallist Jeremiah Loo Phay Xing clinch the bronze medal after recording 13.000pts, just 0.350pts behind Vietnam’s Le Thanh Tung and Dinh Phuong Thanh in first and second, respectively.
Jeremiah also recorded a fourth place finishing with 13.400pts in the parallel bars discipline as Vietnam scores a double podium as Dinh Phuong Thanh and Pham Phuoc Hung finished in first and second with Thailand’s Jamorn Prommanee in third.
