MALACCA (28/7/2022): The second day of the 19th World Pencak Silat Championship witnessed some exhilarating action at Ayer Keroh as the national silat contingent continued to lit up the stage with notable wins over their respective opponents.
Competing in Class H (80-85kg), stalwart Mohd Amiruddin Azmi the fighter who hails from “the land below the wind”, Sabah displayed calmness throughout his match as he was able to attract the cheering crowd with his astounding combatting moves & skills.
The Kota Belud lad who’s well known for bursting onto the scene with a bronze-winning performance in the Hanoi SEA Games, faced a strong challenge from his Kyrgyzstan counterpart Tokurov Daniiar in the opening minutes of the game.
However, Mohd Amiruddin’s calmness and experience led him to reward as he overcame Tokurov Daniiar 76-45 to secure his victory.
National silat prodigy Aizad Akhbar also got off to a good start as he used every muscle to defeat Kazakhstan’s powerhouse exponent Khassen Maxat 44-32 in the male Class A (45-50kg) category.
The 23-year-old who won gold in the 2018 Perak SUKMA Games (Class A) kept the national camp on edge with his scintillating performance while overcoming Khassen Maxat’s fierce resistance until the very end of the bout.
On the downside, Malaysia’s gallant run in the second day of the championship’s “tanding” category was brought to end when Mohamad Aqasha Fitri lost 23-49 to Vietnam’s Le Van Toan in the Open 1 Male Category.
The 19th World Pencak Silat Championship which was supposed to be held in Sarawak a couple of years ago had to be postponed due to the Covid 19 pandemic.
Malaysia aims to win seven gold medals out of its 32 contested events and will surely receive a fierce challenge from their fierce rival namely Indonesia in addition to Vietnam and Thailand who also sent a large contingent.
40 nations including debutants United States, Algeria and Germany will be vying to acquire the 19th World Pencak Silat Championship which is scheduled to reach its climax this coming Sunday.