Pg Mohd Nasir Pg Anak Ja’afar riding Rudolf Z at the Baltica Tour Grand Prix of Choczewo in Poland last August. Brunei’s top rider, who has not competed since last September, is looking to get back in the saddle when he returns to Belgium in July. Picture: Courtesy of 1clicphoto
PG MOHD Nasir Pg Anak Ja’afar is raring to get back into action.
The first Bruneian to compete in equestrian at the Asian Games (2010) and SEA Games (2007), the 26-year-old has been out of action since finishing 14th in the 54-rider field at the prestigious Zangersheide World Championships in Belgium last September.
The Belgian-based rider is now back in Brunei to help out with his family business, and speaking to the media last week, said that he can’t wait to get back on the saddle. Despite unable to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics – where only one slot was given to an Asian rider – Pg Mohd Nasir is taking the setback in his stride.
“My hunger to compete is always there,” he insisted. “I usually take a short break at the end of the year for me and my horses to cool down during the winter period. “I’m looking at going back to Europe at the end of July or in August, and after that, I normally compete in smaller events to get the rust out - and then I see what are the bigger tournaments going on.
“There are always major European tournaments going on every weekend, and for me, the most important thing is to keep on competing and keep on representing Brunei at these big events – and getting good results,” he added. Pg Mohd Nasir – who finished eighth at the 2015 SEA Games in Singapore and 11th at the 2010 Asian Games in China – has been riding competitively for 11 years.
But although he has more than a decade’s worth of experience, he admits there is always room for improvement. “I’m much stronger than I was two years ago since I’ve been competing in a lot more higher level events,” he said.
“I might have been nervous during my early years, but I realised that doesn’t get me anywhere. “I need to keep on riding and I feel I need to get into better shape physically.
“I can say that in recent years my fitness has decreased, so I need to be more disciplined in terms of taking better care of myself,” he added.
