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| Fadhil Yunus |
AFTER a brief hiatus from the international stage,
Brunei Darussalam´s athletes team returned to
action in the Asian Games in Jakarta last July and the
81
st
Singapore Open Track & Field Championships
earlier this year, where amongst an illustrious cast of
international runners, national sprinter Muhammad
Noor Firdaus Ar-Rasyid bin Haji Mohd Idris bagged
the silver medal.
The Singapore event marked the first time the relay
teamhadbeen assembled for anoverseasmeet this year.
“[Because] it has been a long time since we’ve
had any exposure to any competition since the Asian
Games last year, I hope to achieve a season-best result
this year in the 100m and 200m events,” Muhammad
Noor Firdaus said.
The national sprinter rode the momentum
gained in the regional meet into the Asian Athletics
Championships, where he broke his personal best
twice in the same competition.
Muhammad Noor Firdaus also nearly shattered the
national record held by his national teammate Mohd
Fakhri bin Ismail by 0.01 seconds with a time of 10.60
seconds.
His other national sprinting colleague Maziah binti
Mahusin, meanwhile, despite being plagued by a
string of injury setbacks in the past, announced her
return in style in the Sarawak Open Track and Field
Championship, bagging the gold medal in the 100m
event.
Maziah, who described her swift progress as “one
step at a time”, also shone in the 200m event where
she secured the silver medal.
Fellow Brunei national athlete and relay team
member Md Faaizul bin Abdullah also managed a
podium finish in the same meet, clinching the silver
medal in the 100m event.
The national sprinters will take heart from their
flurry of achievements and feel they are in good stead,
especially in a Southeast Asian (SEA) Games year.
Brunei found success as well Down Under in the
Arafura Games in Darwin. The country’s athletes
managed a haul of two gold, one silver and three
bronze in the event, held for the first time after an
eight-year hiatus.
National para-athlete Hirdan bin Haji Abdul
Kadir struck gold in the men’s javelin wheelchair
event, following up this effort with silver and bronze
medals in the discus and shot put events.
In swimming, Christian Nikles won gold in the
men’s 50m butterfly, while his compatriot Nur
Haziq Samil capped off a fine performance in
the 200m backstroke event with a bronze medal
finish.
Nor Hensan binti Haji Mataha, meanwhile,
erased her disappointment of missing out on a
podium finish in past events by winning bronze in
the women’s open ambulatory discus event.
The country received a welcome boost in the
mixed martial arts (MMA) arena, after Bruneian
duo Ahmed Faez Anuar and Nurhidayat Haji Abdul
signed contracts with Rich Franklin’s ONE Warrior
Series with hopes of making it to the vaunted stage
of One Championship.
The pair immediately put Brunei on the
internationalMMAmapafterbothenjoyedimpressive
One Warrior Series debuts in Singapore.
Ahmed Faez won his fight via a second round
submission in the lightweight division against India’s
Pardeep Kumar, while Nurhidayat pulled off a first
round victory over Thailand’s Sanya Kongkatonk
in the strawweight division with an arm triangle
choke.
The country also witnessed new talent emerging
in the sport of bowling, with rising star Natasya
Rafie capturing the limelight at the Malaysian
International Open 2019 after winning the women’s
graded division at Sunway Mega Lanes in Kuala
Lumpur.
The 18-year-old secured Brunei’s first ever
championship in the meet, outperforming other
international competitors in the process during the
finals.
The national bowling team’s participation in the
Malaysia event was seen as preparation for the SEA
Games in Manila later this year.
In cue sports, Brunei Darussalam snooker player
Md Hasrijam bin Haji Hasan grabbed fifth place
in the Swan City Invitational Championship 2019
in Sibu, Sarawak. The tournament, held at the
Executive 3 Snooker Centre, drew a host of talents
from Sabah and Sarawak, including Kuching’s top
cueist Rolando Lim.
Over in football, Brunei national team striker Adi
Said made headlines after he became the country’s
first player to sign for a Malaysian club – UiTM FC
– who are based in the Malaysia Premier League,
Malaysia’s second tier football league.
The former DPMM FC player impressed in trials
and played a part in the team’s rise to the top of the
league during their push for promotion to the top-
tier Malaysia Super League.
Adi, who took the Singapore Premier League by
storm a season prior when he topped the assists
chart, made an instant impact for his new club,
bagging a brace on his debut, the first of which
came after only 20 seconds.
Tasked with corner kick duties, the forward
chalked his first assist during a 3-3 draw
against Kelantan and has also formed a good
understanding with strike partner Zarko Korac,
notably laying on an assist for the latter in a 2-1
win against Sarawak.
Back in the Singapore Premier League, DPMM
FC has been making waves with their barnstorming
start to the new campaign, winning eight of their
first 11 matches while staying unbeaten to rocket to
the league summit.
The squad has been rejuvenated under the
tutelage of Adrian Pennock, who was appointed as
head coach at the start of the season.
The team has also benefited from a new fitness-
oriented training setup and the introduction of a
strict dietary and nutrition regime, with Lindsay
Davis central in the behind-the-scenes work.
Carrying the national spirit in sports
Borneo Bulletin, Monday July 15, 2019
Page 56
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