BRUNEI Darussalam’s Md Sufi Shayiran bin Roslan won the country’s first wushu medal of this year’s 29th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games after bagging bronze in the Men’s Nanquan final at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre yesterday.
Despite commentary stating that it might not possibly be the most complex of displays, the Bruneian accumulated 9.65 points and hung on third place in a tight finish involving six participants.
The national wushu exponent executed a nice flurry of solid strikes during an eventful routine with his horse stunts convincing the judges.
Md Sufi Shayiran won his second SEA Games medal since capturing bronze in the Men’s Weapons event in Singapore two years ago together with his brother Mohammad Adi Sya’rani.
With more competitors yet to perform their routine, Md Sufi Shayiran was temporarily in silver medal contention ahead of Malaysia’s Gjeblehim Bong.
Brunei has never made the podium in an individual event in the SEA Games prior to Md Sufi Shayiran’s bronze-winning exploits as their last successes in the sport came from pair events.
“It is the first medal in an individual wushu event for Brunei in the SEA Games. It’s an achievement for Brunei wushu,” asserted national coach Li Hui.
“This demonstrates that Brunei’s wushu in individual events has improved tremendously,” he further added.
Li Hui said that Md Sufi had done well to clinch a podium finish adding that he was not nervous as he was the day before.
The national head coach hold high hopes for the country’s wushu star following his fine result whose score was marginally close to the competitors ahead of him.
“He has the potential to be a great wushu athlete for Brunei. What he needs most is competition exposure.’
Having embarked on overseas training in China as preparation for the SEA Games, Li Hui expressed confidence that initiatives such as this could be translated to good showings in individual events.
‘I believe that if there are more training and competitions overseas, Brunei wushu will further improve in its individual events,’ highlighted the national coach.
The national coach also expressed his gratitude to the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports and the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council (BDNOC) for their unwavering and continued support for Brunei Darussalam Wushu Federation.
Malaysia’s Ho Mun Hua won gold after collecting 9.67 points while Vietnam’s Pham Quoc Khanh grabbed silver with 9.66 points.
