AL JUFFERI BEGINS QUEST FOR HIS FOURTH WORLD PENCAK SILAT CHAMPIONSHIP

MALACCA (27 July 2022): Malaysia's three-time world champion Mohd. Al Jufferi Jamari lived up to the nation's expectations with a comfortable win over India's Suraj Kumar to advance to the next round of the 19th World Pencak Silat Championship.

Competing in Class F (70-75kg), Mohd. Al Jufferi received a strong challenge at the beginning of the first round when Suraj was given the opportunity to take a 4-2 lead. The tables were quickly turned in a few minutes as the four-time SEA Games champion dominated Suraj in the last two rounds to win 41-16.

Mohd. Al Jufferi was satisfied with his performance and praised his opponent's competitive spirit. However, he remained modest and said, "First and foremost, I would like to praise the Almighty for giving me the strength to compete on such a competitive platform. With the grace of the Almighty, I'm still able to compete with full confidence despite my injury."

He added, "I have always had huge respect for all the opponents I have faced throughout my silat career. Though many said that Suraj could be easy meat for me, I didn't allow their opinions to get to me. I really admire Suraj's fighting spirit and the passion that he has for this art form.

"I believe all silat exponents are unique in their own way as they all have the capabilities to succeed in this sport. As a veteran silat athlete, I suggest that young talents always polish their skills by observing and practising more silat techniques and tactics via YouTube and other learning platforms."

Mohd. Al Jufferi also said that his combat movements were now limited due to the injury he sustained while competing in last May's Hanoi SEA Games.

"I can say that I'm only 70 per cent recovered. The coach had prepared tactics to prevent my injury from getting worse prior to the match.

"For tomorrow's next round, I will meet Alvin from the Philippines. He is not a new opponent for me," he added.

Mohd. Al Jufferi and Alvin T Campos have often met in competitions before, mainly in the Class E (65-70kg) category.

"As a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, each person's weight has increased and now we are excited to meet in the Class F category tomorrow," he concluded.

Earlier, Luqman Laji, who was the first national silat exponent to step into the ring, advanced to the next round when he collected 9.940 points to defeat his competitor from Brunei, Muhd. Ali Saifullah Abdullah Md. Suhaimi, who scored 9.905 points, in the men's singles event.

The excellence of the silat athletes continued in the men's creative solo category when Mohd. Shukrillah Badrilah collected 9.895 points to beat Vietnamese fighter Tran Duc Danh, who obtained 9.890 points.

Merrywati Manuil, Fatin Ardani Zamri and Siti Khairunnisa Hail, who represented Malaysia in the women's regu team match, were defeated by the Indonesian team as they narrowly lost by 0.01 points after scoring 9.935 points.

Nevertheless, Merrywati still competed in the creative solo category, where she collected 9.935 points to beat Kazakhstan's champion Traize Regina, who collected 9.865 points.