Make way for the medallists

Fadhil Yunus

The transfer in direction of the Endemic Part aligned with substantial easing of COVID-19 measures and restrictions globally has introduced reduction and restoration to a wealth of communities in Brunei Darussalam and the sporting group is not any exception.

The nation has welcomed the resumption of home and worldwide sport competitions, following the re-opening of borders, whereas the return of spectators has helped create the energetic ambiance generally seen in matches.

Ever since the specter of COVID-19 issues eased within the first half of 2022, a slew of actions had been reintroduced by varied sports activities associations to kick begin the sporting scene at home stage, resulting in the emergence of recent new abilities.

The second half of the 12 months in sports activities drew promise as athletes resumed worldwide competitions following a prolonged absence because of the results of the pandemic.

Pencak silat athletes loved unparalleled success on the world stage persevering with their momentum from the Southeast Asian (SEA) Video games a couple of months earlier, whereas nationwide wushu exponent Basma Lachkar bagged the nation’s first gold medal within the World Video games.

The revival of sports activities within the nation noticed the emergence of latest abilities mirrored by the achievements of pencak silat athlete Md Ali Saifullah Abdullah bin Md Suhaimi, who had already attained bronze in two separate main competitions throughout his temporary profession.

Positioned fourth as a novice within the Brunei Darussalam Nationwide Video games (SKBD), he made his breakthrough within the regional scene throughout his maiden look within the SEA Video games.

The Malaysian Video games (Sukma) has been historically recognized for unleashing Brunei Darussalam’s potential of manufacturing podium finishers and medallists, as was confirmed with the success of wushu exponent Mohammad Adi Salihin bin Roslan in Perak in 2018.

Mohammad Adi Salihin bagged silver within the males’s nanquan occasion that 12 months and went on to make strides in his profession when he struck consecutive gold medals within the SEA Video games in 2019 and 2022.

The Sultanate received its first medal in swimming on the Sukma when nationwide swimmer Joel Ling Thai Yu bagged silver within the males’s 200 metres backstroke LC (Lengthy Course) closing with a time of two:12.91s.

Brunei has already witnessed the rise of Worldwide Swimming Federation (FINA) Scholarship holder Haziq Samil and teenage sensation Hayley Wong in current instances, and Joel has helped additional improve the nation’s profile within the sport.

Joel Ling, who has been with the nationwide junior group, marks a vibrant future for the game because the nation seeks to provide extra aggressive swimmers within the regional and worldwide area. His accomplishment has additionally proved the fantastic teaching and work that nationwide head coach Wu Na has undertaken in constructing on the strengths of the nationwide swimmers.

Pencak silat has additionally unearthed a brand new star when nationwide exponent Md Izzamuddin bin Muhammad Taha secured the bronze medal within the males’s tanding Class ‘A’ class occasion in Sukma.

The nation’s newest pencak silat product received back-to-back matches within the knock-out part to succeed in the semi-finals, guaranteeing a podium end. Like many others earlier than him who completed within the podium in Sukma, Md Izzamuddin’s success may put him in competition for choice within the SEA Video games subsequent 12 months in Cambodia.

Brunei has additionally constantly produced medallists in karate through the years particularly the SEA Video games, and the current version of the Sukma unearthed a brand new star.

Nationwide karate exponent Farhah Syahirah binti Mohd Shamrin introduced her arrival within the regional or worldwide scene after successful silver within the ladies’s particular person kata occasion.

The karate trio of Khairul Syafiq bin Khairul Ariffin, Awangku Ahmad Munib Aiman bin Pengiran Haji Mohd Hasimudin and Muhammad Nazirul bin Haji Johar additionally contributed to the nation’s medal haul in Kuala Lumpur.

The successes of the fight and aquatics sports activities boosted choice prospects in subsequent 12 months’s SEA Video games in addition to different main competitions abroad.