SHAH ALAM: Thailand and Japan emerged as champions in the men's and women's categories of the inaugural International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Asia-Oceania Flag Football Championships at EV Arena here on Sunday.
World No. 13 Thailand defeated New Zealand 31-25 in the men's final, while Japan took third after thrashing Australia 38-7.
Malaysia finished fifth after overcoming Kuwait 39-24 in a classification match.
National captain Thomas Cowie said his team achieved their target of finishing top six.
"I think Malaysia have what it takes to be a top team in Asia. The three-day event will be used as a yardstick to further improve our game," said Cowie, a former rugby player.
Cowie, 24, used to play for rugby side, KL Saracens Rugby Club.
Meanwhile, world no. 6 Japan were crowned women's champions after defeating Australia 47-29 in the final.
Malaysia finished fourth after losing 20-13 to New Zealand, while Thailand took fifth with a 20-13 win over the Philippines.
Amelia Norzamini said finishing fourth is a big achievement for Malaysia.
"We have been playing together for less than a year, so finishing fourth is a great result. I think we can go far," said Amelia.
Amelia, 28, also plays football, netball and futsal socially and dabbles in ballet as well.
