By: Zaidul Khair bin Jungkim
GIFU, Japan: Sept 24, 2026 – Two Sabah-born players scored as Malaysia thrashed Thailand 10-0 in the men’s hockey event at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games at the Kawasaki Juko Stadium in Gifu today.
Muhajir Abdu Rauf opened the scoring in the 20th minute through a penalty corner. Shello Silverius, also from Keningau, added a goal in the final quarter.
The win kept the Speedy Tigers’ perfect record intact. Malaysia had earlier beaten Uzbekistan 7-0 and Oman by the same score.
In three matches, Malaysia have scored 24 goals without conceding.
Three Sabah players are in the national squad. Besides Muhajir and Shello, Andywalfian Jeffrynus was also selected.
Sabah Minister of Youth Development, Sports and Creative Economy Datuk Haji Nizam Abu Bakar Titingan attended the match. He was accompanied by KBSK Permanent Secretary Datuk Mansur Haji Asun and Sabah State Sports Council director Mohd Asneh Mohd Noor.
After the match, the three athletes received RM5,000 each from the Sabah State Government as a token of appreciation for being selected to represent Malaysia.
Source: Sabah State Sports Council
