His Royal Highness Prince Haji Sufri Bolkiah, President of Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council (BDNOC) attended the High Tea Reception Olympic Council of Asia at Hyatt Regency Etoile Paris last Friday, during the 33rd Olympic Games in Paris, France.
The reception saw His Royal Highness meet with President of the Qatar Olympic Committee Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al-Thani and Jordan contingent’s Chef de Mission Princess Sara binti Faisal.
The delegation from BDNOC, chef de mission and secretariat officer of the Brunei contingent to the Paris Olympic Games also attended the reception. His Royal Highness also witnessed Brunei’s swimmers compete at the Paris La Defense Arena on August 3.
National swimmer Hayley Wong competed in the 50-metre Freestyle Heat 4 event, coming in second place with a time of 28.52 seconds, not beating her personal record. However, in the overall result for 10 heats, she was placed 50 out of 79 athletes.
His Royal Highness offered encouraging words to national swimmers Hayley Wong and Zeke Chan, urging them to continue their training and strive for excellence in future competitions.
Meanwhile, national swimming coach Wu Na said, “The training since coming to Paris, has been carried out according to plan, focusing on fast movement technical rhythm and starting and jumping connection. The speed of the 25-metre take-off has improved in training and pre-match warm-up activities.
“This is Hayley’s first experience, and she believes that the mental pressure of competing in the Olympics caused her to panic during her technical movements, preventing her from mastering them effectively. Her forearm and shoulder strap rotation, as well as the final water push, were not sufficient.”
Meanwhile, national sprinter Muhd Noor Firdaus Ar-Rasyid recorded 10.86 (SB) in his 100-metre race, failing to break his own personal record. He was placed 33rd out of 45 competitors. – James Kon
