KUCHING: Sarawak’s silambam athletes, who made their debut at the 21st Malaysia Games (SUKMA), are determined to give their best in future SUKMA events.
Despite being new to the sport and having only around seven months of training before the tournament, Asyraff Aqil Mohamad Zainurrin Azm, Hani Qurratu’ain Samsudin, and Nur Aleesya Zahierah Sali made their mark by securing three medals for the state — two silver and one bronze — on the final day of the competition at the Hikmah Exchange event venue here today (Aug 22).
Asyraff, 15, said he was grateful to have made it this far and won a medal in the poruthal below 55 kg event.
The young athlete from Kampung Bintangor, who brought home a silver medal has a past experience in Muay Thai and Silat, and had initially chose to try silambam out of curiosity.
“I wanted to give it a try, and thankfully, it turned out to be a blessing for me,” he said to reporters when met after the competition.
When asked about the differences between silambam and other martial arts, Asyraff noted that there isn’t much difference.
“It is also a form of martial art, but I just wanted to try something new,” he said, adding that having a background in other martial arts provided him with a solid foundation.
Reflecting on his first experience competing in such a major event, he said he had set a target of winning a medal.
Meanwhile, 19-year-old Hani also made an impressive debut in Games in which she had earned a silver medal in the women’s poruthal above 70 kg event.
Hailing from Samariang, she said that she had never heard of silambam before joining.
“My introduction to the sport came when a friend mentioned that the coach was looking for athletes in the 70 kg weight category.
“Since my weight was a perfect fit, I decided to give it a try,” she said.
Although Hani had a background in silat, which provided her with some martial arts experience, the transition to silambam wasn’t without its challenges.
“At first, it was tough, but over time it became easier,” she said.
Despite not being of Indian descent, Hani said she did not find anything unusual about learning silambam.
“I intend to continue with the sport in the future and hope to be able to compete in the next SUKMA,” said Hani who has previously won tournaments in silat.
As for 15-year Nur Aleesya, she has won a bronze medal in the women’s poruthal 60-70 kg event.
Like Hani, Aleesya’s journey into silambam began when she saw an opportunity to join the sport.
“Initially, there was a coach looking for participants to enter silambam, so I decided to take the opportunity,” she said.
With a background in silat and archery, Aleesya found silambam to be an exciting challenge.
“Silambam is fun,” she said.
Looking ahead, Aleesya is determined to continue competing in silambam and has set her sights on winning gold at the next SUKMA.
