SUNGKAI – The bitter experience of missing out on gold at the recent SEA Games has not dampened national silat champion Mohd Al Jufferi Jamari’s spirit but instead fired him up to go for glory at the 2022 World Silat Championship in July.
Thus, the four-time SEA Games champion said he will camp for two months in Nilai, Negeri Sembilan in preparation for the tournament scheduled to take place at the Melaka International Trade Centre (MITC) in Ayer Keroh.
He explained that Nilai was his location of choice as a training camp because he wanted to isolate himself from city distractions to concentrate on facing his final tournament before bidding farewell to the sport.
“I chose Nilai because it is not an urban atmosphere; the environment is the same as we are here now (in a village). It gives more focus to my mission.
“If I stay in the city, after training I may want to hang out and take the family on outings and so on,” he told reporters while attending the Save the Malayan Tiger campaign at the National Wildlife Rescue Centre here yesterday.
The 30-year-old former world champion said he will drop back from Class F (70-75 kg) to Class E (65-70 kg) for the world tourney.
Mohd Al Jufferi admitted that he failed to win gold at the 31st SEA Games because he was affected by the switch to Class F, which saw him training for seven months before Hanoi.
The Hanoi SEA Games bronze medallist said he was determined to retire even if he wins in the world tournament.
Meanwhile, National Sports Council (NSC) director-general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail said the Save the Malayan Tiger campaign, conducted in collaboration with the Wildlife Department, was to raise awareness on preserving the country’s asset, namely the Malayan Tiger, which is now facing extinction.
He said the involvement of the sports community such as athletes, NSC and the Ministry of Youth and Sports is an initiative to preserve the Malayan Tiger as the main symbol of national sports. – Bernama, May 27, 2022
