KUALA NERUS, July 24 (Bernama) -- National silat exponent Mohd Afifi, 20, is determined to make up for his disappointment by getting a gold medal at the Malaysian Games (SUKMA) in Sarawak which will take place from August 17 to 24.
At the last SUKMA 2022 in Kuala Lumpur, Mohd Afifi who represented Terengganu only managed to win a bronze medal in the 40-45 kilogramme category.
Mohd Afifi said for the final phase, he placed great emphasis on weight maintenance and underwent additional private training to improve skills and tactics.
"Eating is very important to ensure a consistent weight and I practise a high protein diet," he said.
He said that he longed for a golden finish since this SUKMA would be the last edition for him.
"SUKMA this time is very meaningful because it is my last appearance considering that I have reached 20 years of age. I want it to be a valuable gift not only for myself, but also for my family and state," he said when met at a training session at the Sports Council of Terengganu, today.
Meanwhile, Terengganu SUKMA silat head coach Shahrul Fahmi Abu Bakar said a total of 25 athletes including 16 men and nine women will compete in 25 events at the country's biggest sports event.
According to him, the Terengganu contingent targets five gold, as obtained at the same tournament in Kuala Lumpur two years ago.
"However, we may have problems in retaining the overall title won in the last time SUKMA because the athletes competing this time are less experienced and do not have a good 'track record' in the competition.
"This is different from the last SUKMA where our athletes consisted of youth level world champions and SEA Games wrestlers. At the last SUKMA we managed to win five gold medals, four silver medals and four bronze medals," he said.
In addition, Shahrul Fahmi said Terengganu also missed out on two medal prospects after two of its athletes might not be able to compete because they had just finished undergoing surgery for hand injuries.
-- BERNAMA
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