BY Fadhil Yunus

Brunei Darussalam have been guaranteed their first bronze medal at the 31st Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games 31) after pencak silat competitor Muhd Ali Saifullah bin Abdullah Md Suhaimi emerged victorious in the elimination round at the Bac Tu Liem Sporting Hall in Hanoi, Vietnam yesterday.

The national athlete recorded a score of 9.935 points at the expense of Philippines’ Edmar Tacuel, who totalled 9.925 points, to advance to the semi-finals in the men’s artistic individual event.

Muhd Adi Saifullah lost the semi-final round to Singapore’s Muhd Iqbal bin Abdul Rahman, but he will be standing on the podium during the medal ceremony.

The Bruneian, who only made his debut appearance in the SEA Games this year, gained 9.930 points, just short of the winning mark of 9.960 points posted by his Singaporean opponent.

Meanwhile, Brunei’s female pencak silat exponent Anisah Najihah binti Abdullah lost to Vietnam’s Vuong Thi Binh in the women’s individual artistic event.

The 2019 bronze medallist scored a total of 9.915 points, while her Vietnamese opponent tallied 9.945 points. The pencak silat events introduced a knockout system for the first time in this year’s edition, replacing the single round grading system.

-- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin