HANGZHOU: The Malaysian kabaddi team sprang a surprise in the Asian Games, and it went viral on TikTok.
They beat 2018 Asian Games silver medallists South Korea 40-38 for a commendable fifth placing in Hangzhou.
The team, led by captain Allexson Lian Sin, showed great fighting spirit against the Koreans, with a player even breaking his nose while another suffered an Anterior Cruciate Ligament injury.
"We never gave up. Although we only had three months of preparation for the Asian Games, we wanted to prove to everyone that we can challenge other nations," said Allexson.
"Our team manager has been going up and down offices to look for funds. We looked for funds ourselves for the Asiad and our KPI is to beat Korea, and we achieved it."
The gutsy Malaysians were drawn in an imposing group that included Iran, Pakistan and Korea, teams said to be strong in kabaddi. Malaysia lost 53-23 to Iran and 58-35 to Pakistan.
Although they are not part of any national programme, the Malaysian kabaddi team have been competing in the Asiad since 2010.
"Kabaddi is an interesting sport. It needs physical strength and a fit brain to look for ways to get away from opponents' control," said Allexson.
