Gold Rush For Silat Exponents
8th Southeast Asia Pencak Silat Championships
After a long hiatus, silat exponents from the region gathered for their first regional competition since the pandemic. From 25 to 27 February 2022, they competed at the 8th Southeast Asia Pencak Silat Championships at the OCBC Arena at Singapore Sports Hub.
Team Singapore, which include 9 current student-athletes and 5 alumni, put up an impressive showing against the region’s best. They finished ahead of Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand with 11 gold, 9 silver and 5 bronze medals, out of which 6 golds, 3 silvers and 3 bronzes were contributed by past and present student-athletes.
One of the highlights of the three-day competition was the showdown between Nadhrah Sahrin (Diploma in Business, Year 1) and her Malaysian rival Nor Farah Mazlan, a silver medallist at World Championships, in the Senior Match Women’s Class A (Above 45kg – 50kg). In front of a vociferous crowd, Nadhrah, who is a rookie to international competitions, outdid herself to win the experienced Malaysia opponent by 21-10. Nadhrah had a 3-point lead over Farah after the first two rounds, but increased her lead in the third and final bout as she managed to drop the opponent to the mat twice. Besides the big margin in the score, the win was significant for her as she won her first international gold medal.
It was also a milestone win for Muhammad Naufal Abdullah (Secondary 4) who managed to clinch a gold in his first international competition. In the final match against Indonesia’s Keiran Taruna, Naufal put up a dominant display to win 46-25. He said, “My preparations towards this competition was very tough but I managed to push through all the trainings. During the fight, I was worried as I was losing in the first round but I managed to compose myself to earn back my points and win. I was very happy with my performance in the arena as this is my first ever major competition representing Singapore and I managed to clinch the gold medal!”
Alumnus and three-time world champion Sheik Farhan Sheik Alau'ddin defeated Viet exponent Nguyen Van Thi in the battle of giants in the 90-95kg category, by a very close margin of 20-17 which had the crowd on the edge of their seats. He won the ‘Best Performer’ Award for his outstanding show during the competition.
Siti Khadijah Mohd Shahrem (Diploma in Sport Management, Year 3) also clinched gold after a thrilling match against Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Cam Nhi in the Class E (Above 65kg-60kg) final. Realising that she was losing towards the match's final moments, she managed to pressure her opponent out of the ring within the last few seconds, which led to Siti Khadijah's 1-point victory and a 22-21 final score. Siti had missed several training sessions recently after being tested Covid-positive. However, the determined silat exponent did not let it dampen her fighting spirit. She shared, “I had a hard time standing back up on my toes because I am fighting in a new and heavier weight class. However, I chose not to back down because it is an international competition on home ground and I was excited to compete after two long years. Also, I needed this experience to perform at the coming SEA Games.”
RESULTS
ARTISTIC
Regu Female
Gold - Amirah Sahrin (Diploma in Sport Management, Year 3) with Iffah Batrisya Noh and Nur Ashkin Zulkifli
Regu Male
Gold - Muhammad Iqbal Abdul Rahman (Alumnus) with Muhammad Nazrul M Kamal and Muhammadinil Mustafar Mohd Isa
MATCH - FEMALE
Senior Match Class A
Gold - Nadhrah Sahrin (Diploma in Business, Year 1)
Senior Class C
Bronze - Rifqah Mursyidah Mistam (Secondary 3)
Senior Class D
Gold – Nurul Suhaila Mohamed S (Alumna)
Senior Class E
Gold - Siti Khadijah Mohd Shahrem (Diploma in Sport Management, Year 3)
Senior Match Class F
Silver - Nur Shaqira Sheik Alau’ddin (Secondary 3)
MATCH - MALE
Senior Class B
Silver- Aniq Asri Mohammad Yazid (Secondary 5)
Senior Class D
Silver - Muhammad Riansyauqi Mistam (Alumnus)
Senior Male Class F
Bronze - Abdul Raazaq Abdul Rashid Class F (Diploma in Sport Management, Year 3)
Senior Male Class G
Bronze - Sheik Ferdous Sheik Alau'ddin (Alumnus)
Junior Class F
Gold - Muhammad Naufal Abdullah (Secondary 4)
Senior Match Class J Final
Gold - Sheik Farhan Sheik Alau’ddin (Alumnus)
Best Performer – Sheik Farhan Sheik Alau’ddin
After a long hiatus, silat exponents from the region gathered for their first regional competition since the pandemic. From 25 to 27 February 2022, they competed at the 8th Southeast Asia Pencak Silat Championships at the OCBC Arena at Singapore Sports Hub.
Team Singapore, which include 9 current student-athletes and 5 alumni, put up an impressive showing against the region’s best. They finished ahead of Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand with 11 gold, 9 silver and 5 bronze medals, out of which 6 golds, 3 silvers and 3 bronzes were contributed by past and present student-athletes.
One of the highlights of the three-day competition was the showdown between Nadhrah Sahrin (Diploma in Business, Year 1) and her Malaysian rival Nor Farah Mazlan, a silver medallist at World Championships, in the Senior Match Women’s Class A (Above 45kg – 50kg). In front of a vociferous crowd, Nadhrah, who is a rookie to international competitions, outdid herself to win the experienced Malaysia opponent by 21-10. Nadhrah had a 3-point lead over Farah after the first two rounds, but increased her lead in the third and final bout as she managed to drop the opponent to the mat twice. Besides the big margin in the score, the win was significant for her as she won her first international gold medal.
It was also a milestone win for Muhammad Naufal Abdullah (Secondary 4) who managed to clinch a gold in his first international competition. In the final match against Indonesia’s Keiran Taruna, Naufal put up a dominant display to win 46-25. He said, “My preparations towards this competition was very tough but I managed to push through all the trainings. During the fight, I was worried as I was losing in the first round but I managed to compose myself to earn back my points and win. I was very happy with my performance in the arena as this is my first ever major competition representing Singapore and I managed to clinch the gold medal!”
Alumnus and three-time world champion Sheik Farhan Sheik Alau'ddin defeated Viet exponent Nguyen Van Thi in the battle of giants in the 90-95kg category, by a very close margin of 20-17 which had the crowd on the edge of their seats. He won the ‘Best Performer’ Award for his outstanding show during the competition.
Siti Khadijah Mohd Shahrem (Diploma in Sport Management, Year 3) also clinched gold after a thrilling match against Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Cam Nhi in the Class E (Above 65kg-60kg) final. Realising that she was losing towards the match's final moments, she managed to pressure her opponent out of the ring within the last few seconds, which led to Siti Khadijah's 1-point victory and a 22-21 final score. Siti had missed several training sessions recently after being tested Covid-positive. However, the determined silat exponent did not let it dampen her fighting spirit. She shared, “I had a hard time standing back up on my toes because I am fighting in a new and heavier weight class. However, I chose not to back down because it is an international competition on home ground and I was excited to compete after two long years. Also, I needed this experience to perform at the coming SEA Games.”
RESULTS
ARTISTIC
Regu Female
Gold - Amirah Sahrin (Diploma in Sport Management, Year 3) with Iffah Batrisya Noh and Nur Ashkin Zulkifli
Regu Male
Gold - Muhammad Iqbal Abdul Rahman (Alumnus) with Muhammad Nazrul M Kamal and Muhammadinil Mustafar Mohd Isa
MATCH - FEMALE
Senior Match Class A
Gold - Nadhrah Sahrin (Diploma in Business, Year 1)
Senior Class C
Bronze - Rifqah Mursyidah Mistam (Secondary 3)
Senior Class D
Gold – Nurul Suhaila Mohamed S (Alumna)
Senior Class E
Gold - Siti Khadijah Mohd Shahrem (Diploma in Sport Management, Year 3)
Senior Match Class F
Silver - Nur Shaqira Sheik Alau’ddin (Secondary 3)
MATCH - MALE
Senior Class B
Silver- Aniq Asri Mohammad Yazid (Secondary 5)
Senior Class D
Silver - Muhammad Riansyauqi Mistam (Alumnus)
Senior Male Class F
Bronze - Abdul Raazaq Abdul Rashid Class F (Diploma in Sport Management, Year 3)
Senior Male Class G
Bronze - Sheik Ferdous Sheik Alau'ddin (Alumnus)
Junior Class F
Gold - Muhammad Naufal Abdullah (Secondary 4)
Senior Match Class J Final
Gold - Sheik Farhan Sheik Alau’ddin (Alumnus)
Best Performer – Sheik Farhan Sheik Alau’ddin
