Lego Sam dances his way to Malaysia's second gold

NEW CLARK CITY (Philippines), Dec 1 -- National dancesport athlete Lego Sam Lee Jek today triumphed in the boys’ break dance to give Malaysia their second gold at the 30th SEA Games here.

Sam, 24, amassed 12 points from his routines at the Royce Hotel and Casino ballroom near here to walk away with the title. 

Second was Vietnam’s Le Huu Phuoc, who collected nine points, and third was Singapore’s Jeremy Sim Eng Kiat on four points.

Based on the competition format, the athlete with the highest score after four rounds wins the gold.

Earlier, the Malaysian contingent had won their first gold of the Games through wushu exponent Loh Choon How in men’s taijiquan.

As for Sam, it was a gold that did not come easy, both on and off the dance floor.

The sport was put under the B2 category by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) for this edition, which is for non-affiliate associations.

Sam had forked out about RM5,000 in preparation expenses, but the sport’s B2 category means his gold effort would not be reimbursed by OCM. 

Nevertheless, an ecstatic Sam, speaking after the medal presentation ceremony, dedicated the victory to his mother for her undying support for his involvement in the sport since he was aged seven.  

"I also hope this victory would help me get sponsorships from the private sector for future international dancing tournaments in the future,” he added. 

-- BERNAMA