James Kon
Brunei e-sports athletes Ahmad Syauqi bin Haji Junaidi and Muhammad Hamizan bin Haji Ibrahim competed in the Istanbul 2022 Global E-sports Games in Turkiye recently.
The athletes were accompanied by Brunei Esports Association Vice President Mohd Zul’Izzi Yahya and Secretary General Hawaii Yee.
Ahmad Syauqi competed in the eFootball 2023 event where he has a walkover win over Czech Republic in the round of 64 and then lost to athlete from Britain 2-1 in the round of 32.
While Muhammad Hamizan competed in the Street Fighter V event and managed to grab a crucial win against Luxembourg 3-2 in the round of 64 but suffered a crushing defeat in the hand of United Arab Emirates (UAE) 0-3 in the round of 32. In the lower bracket of round 16, Muhammad Hamizan lost to India 1-3.
Hawaii Yee said Ahmad Syauqi has matured greatly from his first competition in Birmingham back in August. “He has been able to control the game more this time around and create chances to score. But he still needs to work on his mental strength to overcome his fear and nervousness when he goes against stronger opponents. Overall he has shown growth in this competition and will continue his commitment in his training.”
Meanwhile for Muhammad Hamizan, he said, “This is his first competition outside the country, as expected he was nervous for his first game. He managed to defeat Luxembourg in his first match before losing to a more experienced UAE athlete. Good showing at this competition, but more room for improvement.”