From Nurul Izzati Mansor
MALANG (Indonesia), July 5 (Bernama) -- National silat exponent Mohammad Firdaus Mohd Israj made amends by winning Malaysia's second gold in silat at the ASEAN University Games (AUG) 2024 here today.
In the men's silat tanding final at Universitas Muhammadiyah Malang, the Kelantan-born athlete defeated Thailand's Soradet 56-28.
The 24-year-old athlete said the gold medal redeemed his disappointment of only winning a bronze at the 2022 AUG in Ubon, Thailand, after he 'lost heart' then upon learning that his father, Mohd Israj Ismail, was hospitalised.
"I dedicate this gold medal to my late father. The first day I arrived at AUG Thailand was the first time my father was hospitalised. During the match, I couldn't focus and was thinking about my father's illness.
"When I returned home, my father passed away due to kidney disease while I was competing in the Higher Education Institution Games (Sukipt)," he told reporters after the match today.
Commenting on today's match, Mohammad Firdaus admitted that it was tough as his opponent had strong kicks, but the tactics taught by his coach helped him to overcome the opponent.
"The Thai competitor's strength is in kicking because they focus more on endurance, so I played tactically and prevailed," he said.
Yesterday, Maizal Mazli Mansor and Muhammad Azri Farhan Mohamad Azli clinched Malaysia's first gold in silat by scoring 9.940 points to win the ganda putera silat seni event.
Malaysia have collected 28 gold, 32 silver and 39 bronze medals to be in third place in the AUG 2024 medal tally, behind Indonesia and Thailand.
-- BERNAMA
