Women's hockey squad can repeat Singapore SEA Games success

National women's hockey squad coach Mohd Nasihin Nubli Ibrahim is confident the team can repeat its success at the SEA Games in Singapore in June.

He said the squad did not face any pressure to defend the gold medal for the second time in a row, but he did not want his players to be too complacent.

"The morale and spirit of my players are improving after they were disappointed at losing to Poland at the world league championship in India recently. I don't deny that the spirit of the players diminished after the loss.

"Although, even at the South East Asian level the national squad do not face high pressure they cannot look down on other teams especially Thailand which is seen as a threat," he told Bernama here, today.

The dream of the Malaysian women's hockey squad to pursue a ticket to the Olympic Games next year did not materialise when it lost 1-0 to Poland in the second round of the semi-final at the World Hockey League at the Major Dhyan Chand National Stadium.

For the record, the women's national squad not only defended the gold medal but they also created a world record when pulverising Cambodia 36-0 at the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar.

"Creating a world record is not our main mission but I want the players to safeguard the standard and quality of their games at every match there," he said.

For the record, the national men and women's squads had won the gold medals at the 2013 SEA Games in Myanmar and 2007 in Korat, Thailand.

However, at the 2009 meet in Vientiane, Laos and 2011 (Palembang, Indonesia, the event was not contested.