MIRI: Sarawak’s gold medallist in the women’s Class B category, Ummi Mashitah Hassan, has been invited by the National Silat Federation (PESAKA) to join the national team.
The 21-year-old received the exciting news immediately after winning gold at the Malaysia Games (SUKMA) 2024 at the Miri Indoor Stadium on August 23.
Reflecting on her performance in the finals, she said she had to give her all and not stop halfway.
“This has been a great experience. This will be my last SUKMA. The entire silat camp felt like it was pushing me to give up, but reaching this point meant I had to see it through to the end,” she told reporters after the finals.
Ummi who has become a local fan-favourite also due to her mullet-hairstyle scored 39 points to defeat her Kedah opponent, Nur Irhamna Qamariah Wira, who managed only 24 points.
In addition to her victory, Ummi Mashitah Hassan is also a sparring partner for Mohamad Nurhasri Maxzakir, another gold medalist, this time in the men’s Class E category.
Sarawak’s silat team head coach, Fadzil Jamain, revealed that the two gold medalists frequently train together as sparring partners.
“We usually conduct four training sessions a day, each lasting two hours. It’s noteworthy that they are sparring partners and often train together,” he said.