Malaysian gymnast flips out after Asian Games snub

Kuala Lumpur: Malaysian gymnast Mohd Hamzaruddin Nordin has hit out at the sport`s national governing body after they opted not to send any male athletes to next month`s Asian Games after a poor showing at the Commonwealth Games.

The Malaysian Gymnastics Federation (MGF) made the decision after Hamzaruddin and team mate Hairi Zaid Ahmad Saruji failed to qualify for the Commonwealth apparatus final in Glasgow, Scotland last month. Hamzaruddin`s best showing came in the vault where he finished 17th in the qualifying round, a long way off medal contention. "It`s very disappointing. Sometimes, it can`t just all be about medals. We need to gain some experience too," he was quoted as saying by the Malaysian Star on Sunday. "Everyone expects us to keep improving. But we aren`t given the chance to compete internationally to get more exposure competing against the world`s best." Hamzaruddin said his last oversees competition had been the 2011 Southeast Asian Games and was worried about his future without top ranking events to take part in. "The performance in the Glasgow was not great, but that was my first competition of the year," added the sports management undergraduate. "Without these competitions, we won`t improve... we`d just stagnate." Rhythmic gymnast Wong Poh San is so far the only Malaysian entry for the Asian Games in Incheon, which starts on Sept. 18. The 17-year-old won a silver and two bronze medals in Glasgow on her Commonwealth Games debut.