Khairulnizam and Two 29er Crews Bring Home Three Sailing Bronzes for Malaysia
Malaysia's sailors won three bronzes at the Asian Games, led by veteran Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy in the men's ILCA 7 dinghy and two 29er skiff crews.
Malaysia's sailing squad came away from the Asian Games with three bronze medals on 2 October, pushing the contingent's medal total higher on a day when most attention was on the squash courts and the velodrome.
Veteran Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy took bronze in the men's ILCA 7 dinghy, while Malaysia also won bronze in both the men's and women's 29er skiff events.
The medallists
- Men's ILCA 7 (dinghy): Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy finished third out of 18 sailors with 14 points.
- Men's 29er (skiff): Muhammad Adam Aierell and Iqbal Nazham Musmuliadi won bronze.
- Women's 29er (skiff): Nor Izniey Humaira Mohd Azri and Aina Zulaikha Azizul Rahman won bronze with 34 points.
Khairulnizam on the podium
In the ILCA 7 class, the event used for Olympic single-handed sailing, South Korea's Ha Jee-min took gold and Hong Kong's Nicholas Halliday silver, with Khairulnizam third. Malay-language daily Harian Metro reported that Khairulnizam, who had been through a difficult path to these Games, considered the bronze to be as good as gold.
The ILCA classes at these Games were also part of the qualifying picture for LA28. ILCA Sailing reported that Ha and Thailand's Sophia Montgomery, the women's ILCA 6 winner, earned the first Olympic spots on offer.
Young crews deliver in the skiffs
The two 29er medals are encouraging. The 29er is a fast, demanding two-person skiff, and medals in both the men's and women's events suggest Malaysia has a group of young crews able to compete at continental level.
Sailing's place in the plan
Sailing was one of 13 sports identified as medal contributors when the contingent's targets were announced before the Games, along with sports such as track cycling, squash, diving and karate. Three bronzes made sailing one of the contingent's useful sources of podium finishes.
Those podium finishes count. Malaysia ended the Games with 16 bronzes against a pre-Games target of 20, so every third-place finish helped bring the total to 32 medals, one short of the 33-medal target.
A busy day for Malaysia
The sailing medals came on the same day Malaysia won three golds, through Azizulhasni Awang in the keirin and the women's and men's squash teams. That took the contingent to nine golds, equalling the national Asian Games record.
Key takeaways
- Malaysia won three sailing bronzes at Aichi-Nagoya 2026, reported on 2 October.
- Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy was third in the men's ILCA 7 with 14 points.
- The men's and women's 29er crews each won bronze.
- South Korea's Ha Jee-min won the ILCA 7 gold and an LA28 spot.
- Sailing was one of 13 sports targeted for medals before the Games.
FAQ
Who won Malaysia's sailing medals at the 2026 Asian Games? Khairulnizam Mohd Afendy (men's ILCA 7), Muhammad Adam Aierell and Iqbal Nazham Musmuliadi (men's 29er), and Nor Izniey Humaira Mohd Azri and Aina Zulaikha Azizul Rahman (women's 29er).
What colour were the sailing medals? All three were bronze.
Who won the men's ILCA 7 gold? South Korea's Ha Jee-min, with Hong Kong's Nicholas Halliday second.
Sources: Stadium Astro, Little Big Red Dot, Harian Metro, ILCA Sailing, Malay Mail