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NEWS & EVENTS
Bittersweet as Silat gets Bronze
Wednesday, December 11, 2013



Brunei missed out on at least two bronze medals yesterday when its entries in the SEA Games pencak silat competition failed to win their first round matches.

The first round of the competition only brings together eight athletes, meaning a win automatically equates to a shared bronze - as losing semi-finalists - at the very least.

However, both Siti Shazareena Hanifa and Farina Afida Pehin Hj Abdul Jalil were unable to get past their respective opponents yesterday, going down 5-0 in each case.

Competing in the women's tanding Class C (55-60 kg) event, Siti Shazareena was knocked out by the Philippines' Nerlyn Huinda, who shared bronze with Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Ghang in the same event at the last edition of the Games in Indonesia two years ago.

Farina Afida, meanwhile, lost her women's tanding Class F (70-75kg) match against Thailand's Monruthai Bangsalad.

However, yesterday's bye into the second round (semi-final) of the men's tanding class G (75-80kg) for Ak Mohd Khairul Bahri Pg Aliumar will ensure Brunei does not leave the Zayar Thiri Indoor Stadium C empty-handed when the pencak silat competition ends on Sunday.

Yesterday's defeats, though, mean Brunei's pencak silat exponents have yet to claim a single point off any of their opponents.

The Sultanate started the tournament on Monday when Ak Md Saifful Azri Pg Mohd Iskandar Saifful Bahari went up against world champion Diep Ngoc Vu Minh, the Vietnamese - who is also the reigning champion in the event - beating Ak Md Saifful Azri 5-0 as well.

An easier luck of the draw during the pre-SEA Games competition in Myanmar saw Ak Md Saifful Azri win joint-bronze after beating his Malaysian opponent in what was only his first international outing.

Brunei won three bronze medals at the last SEA Games in Indonesia in the women's singles, women's trio and men's trio - none of which were tanding (combat) events.

Courtesy from Brunei Times