SEA Games: Bodybuilder 'Mike' Mahen awes judges to bag gold

HANOI: National bodybuilder Mohd Syarul Azman Mahen Abdullah's "outstanding" muscle mass and body symmetry blew the judges away as he bagged the gold medal in the men's Athletics Physique category in the 31st SEA Games at the Hanoi Sports Competition and Training Centre here today.

The four-time-in-a-row world champion in the Athletics Physique category defeated four other bodybuilders, with Vietnam's Tian Nguyen Minh taking silver and Thailand's Pong Pala the bronze.

What makes the victory sweeter for Mike, as the Malaysian bodybuilder is fondly known, is that he achieved it on his debut and, thus, helped the bodybuilding team meet their target of one gold medal at the biennial Games.

In today's action, another Malaysian, Ahmad Faiz Ariffin missed out on joining Mike on the podium when he finished fourth.

Meanwhile, the national bodybuilding team ended their campaign in Hanoi by bagging a bronze medal through Walvern Abdullah-Kok Gong Tai in the mixed pairs category.

Mike said he was delighted to ensure Malaysia earned a gold medal after he was earlier barred from competing on suspicion of having tested positive for COVID-19.

He then had to undergo five RTK-Ag tests before being finally allowed to compete.

"A SEA Games win was all that was missing from my resume. This is my debut and I managed to bag the gold medal. I wish to thank the KBS (Ministry of Youth and Sports), NSC (National Sports Council), NSI (National Sports Institute) and MBBF (Malaysian Body Building Federation) for always supporting me.

"I dedicate this gold medal to all Malaysians and to Keluarga Malaysia (Malaysian Family)," he said when met by reporters here today.

Mike's achievement means the national bodybuilding team managed to bag one gold, three silvers and four bronzes to surpass their targeted 1-2-3 haul.

-- BERNAMA