KUCHING: Sarawak maintained their scintillating form on the second day of the inaugural Sarawak Premier International Silat Championship.
The exponents made heads turn when they displayed a convincing performance in their respective quarterfinal fixtures at the Kuching Indoor Stadium, here yesterday (Mar 2).
Azizy Arbi, made a stellar start for the Bumi Kenyalang in the creative putra men’s category, when he overcame his own teammate Mohammad Shamiezal Shapian 9.840-9.340 in his opening game.
Sarawak’s gallant run kept going in other matches as Zureen Zulyka Zaidel also emerged victorious in the creative putra women’s category by defeating Angkatan Tentera Malaysia’s (ATM) Hananzohira Harif 9.9-9.39.
The victorious exponent who now has two consecutive victories under her belt said: “I’m always ready to face a tactically strong opponent like Hananzohira Harif. I was prepared for this in advance, and I’m delighted to emerge victorious against a tough opponent.”
Nur Inatha Khairuniyah added the cherry on the cake for her state when she calmly cruised past Nur Sofea Nadillah Noor 9.905- 9.875 in the creative putra women’s category.
Malaysia’s Muhammad Khairul Shaddad Ardi jumped his way through to the quarter final in the men’s singles senior category.
It was not a walk in the park for the 2016 SUKMA’s bronze medal winner as Brunei Darussalam’s valorous fighter Muhammad Ali Saifullah Abdullah Muhd Suhaimi displayed his thunderous and menacing moves that left Khairul completely mystified.
A mouth-watering match it was for the audiences as the fighter, who hails from Johor, broke out of the ring with a narrow win.
Khairul successfully accumulated 9.950 points which saw him get past his opponent with a tight margin of 9.920 points.
Mary Francine C. Padios of Philippines crashed out of the quarter final as Nur Syafiqah Hamzah got the better of her in the women’s single senior category.
Nur Syafiqah accumulated 9.940 points with her stupendous combating skills against her opponent who was only able to get a grip of 9.905 points.
The first-ever silat exponent to win the gold medal in the Pencak Silat Asia Tenggara Championship in Singapore a year ago put up sterling performance to convince everyone that she is among the favourites to win the five-star championship.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Danial Azray Noorazizan and Muhammad Danial Azroy Noorazizan put of a sensational performance in the male’s double senior category.
The dynamic duo exhibited some delightful moves that stunned the whole crowd and successfully accumulated 9.925 points which was enough to sink Brunei Darussalam’s Juzaili Abdullah and Mohd Arif Ismail.
The inaugural Sarawak championship which kicked off on Feb 27 and ends on Saturday (Mar 5) features 500 participants from 11 countries and 10 local contingents.
Admission to the maiden championship is free for the public and it can also be watched live on the OneSilat facebook page.
