Sea Games: Pesaka Targets Two Gold Medals By Silat Exponents

KUALA LUMPUR, April 13 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian National Silat Federation (Pesaka) has placed a two gold medal target for national silat exponents at the 2023 South East Asian (SEA) Games in Phnom Penh, Cambodia next month.

Its president, Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin said the low target is because 75 per cent of the national silat exponents headed to the games are new faces.

He added that they did not pick any specific event for the gold medal target, as every exponent had the potential of winning.

“I am more open to the fact that all athletes have a chance to contribute medals, because I don’t want young athletes to be burdened, if we had Mohd Al-Jufferi Jamari surely he must bring back a gold medal.

“I don’t want to pressure young athletes but I believe they are capable, what more with our current team being managed by former national silat exponents like Mohd Fauzi Khalid and Siti Rahmah Mohamed Nasir,” he told reporters at the federation’s Ramadan Iftar and Aidilfitri donation event here today.

Megat Zulkarnain also said that Pesaka was cautious about setting targets after learning from its experience in the 2021 Hanoi Games, where exponents could only bring back two golds instead of the targeted three.

“In Vietnam, there were several unexpected incidents, like Mohd Al-Jufferi losing in the semi-finals due to injury and we lost a gold, so we learn from our experience and are more cautious about announcing targets,” he said.

The national silat team is expected to compete in 17 out of 22 events of this year’s Games, held at the Chroy Changvar Convention Centre, beginning May 5 to 17.

-- BERNAMA