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Sazali dinobat Mr. Asia kali kelapan

Sazali Samad (tengah), Shahrul Azman Mahen Abdullah (kiri) dan Ismail Riji bersama trofi kemenangan ketika tiba KLIA, Sepang semalam dari Kejohanan Bina Badan Asia, di Guangzhou. - UTUSAN/MOHD. NAIM AZIZ
 
SEPANG - Badang Malaysia, Sazali Samad terus mengharumkan nama negara di pentas dunia setelah dinobatkan Mr. Asia kali kelapan pada Kejohanan Bina Badan Asia di Guangzhou, China kelmarin.
Lebih manis, kejayaan itu turut dikongsi bersama dua rakan senegara, Shahrul Azman Mehan, 39, yang muncul naib juara dalam kategori kKlasik dan Ismail Riji, 33, menggondol pingat gangsa bagi kategori heavyweight.

Sazali, yang bakal menjangkau usia 45 tahun 8 Oktober ini, pertama kali memenangi gelaran tersebut pada 1996 di New Delhi, India dan kemudian mengekalkan kecemerlangan dalam kejuaraan sama pada 1998, 1999, 2000, 2004, 2009 dan 2010.

Bekas Olahragawan Kebangsaan itu ketika ditemui sebaik sampai di Lapangan Terbang Antarabangsa Kuala Lumpur (KLIA), Sepang semalam berkata, kejayaannya adalah berkat usaha gigihnya selama ini setelah berdepan saingan hebat pencabarnya di Guangzhou.

“Saya menerima saingan sengit daripada peserta Indonesia, Thailand, China dan juga Iran. Ini merupakan tekad saya dan saya bersyukur berjaya memenanginya buat kali kelapan," katanya yang beraksi dalam kategori terbuka 70 kilogram (lightweight).

Sazali mengatasi Youse Karimi dari Iran dan jaguh Vietnam, Nguyen Hai Au setelah kali terakhir memenangi kejuaraan itu di Tehran, dua tahun lalu.

Anggota Polis Diraja Malaysia (PDRM) berpangkat Sub Inspektor itu memberitahu, dia akan terus menyumbang keringatnya buat negara selagi kudratnya diperlukan.

Kemenangannya itu turut menjadi suntikan semangat buat Sazali yang akan memburu gelaran Dunia kali kelapan pada kejohanan yang berlangsung di Bangkok pada 5 hingga 10 Disember ini.

Kepulangan Sazali dari Guangzhou, semalam turut disambut Pengarah Jabatan Pengurusan, Ibu Pejabat Polis Bukit Aman, Datuk Mortadza Nazarene dan Timbalannya, Datuk Zaleha Abdul Rahman serta wakil Jabatan Hal Ehwal Awam PDRM.




Oleh AIZAWATI AHMAD
sukan@utusan.com

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