The Brunei Times
(Top) The Sultanate's top swimmer Amanda Liew Jia Xin in action. (Above Right) Jasper Yu Woon Chai is honing his skills in Indonesia. (Above Left) Brunei's most promising player Mohd Aiman Abdullah.AFTER all the centralised training and preparations, on Friday, May 28, the athletes will finally know who have made the cut for Sukan Malaysia (Sukma) 13 in Melaka.
The Department of Youth and Sports (JBS) will finally reveal all the details which have piqued the nation's interests, before the athletes are scheduled to compete in the Games from June 10-19.
Will there be cuts made from the squad that on last count numbered 69? Are we still going to bank on the lucky 13 sports - athletics, aquatics, badminton, bowling, cycling, fencing, karate, petanque, sepak takraw, silat, squash, tennis and wushu - for medals?
Only the results from the athletes' final fitness test will tell and at this point, one could only speculate on who will make it.
Could the debut of lone petanque warrior, Abdul Wafi Awg Abd Hamid, be under jeopardy? The 22-year-old is on the verge of creating history as the first petanque player to represent the sultanate in Sukma.
Under the guidance of national coach, Somsak Juychunprasert, Abdul Wafi had already challenged for honours abroad five times.
His recent international exposure was in March, when he competed alongside teammates Mazlan Hj Yahya and Pg Hj Asmalina Pg Hj Jaya in the 2010 Pan Pacific Singapore Championship and placed third.
But this time, Abdul Wafi will have to go about it alone, gunning for the single and shooting events.
Another athlete going solo is Mohd Aiman Abdullah, the country's most promising junior tennis player. It will not be his first time at the Games, reaching the second round of the men's singles during the 2008 Sukma in Terengganu.
Last year he collected the silver in the men's open singles and bronze in the doubles during last May's Arafura Games in Darwin, Australia. He ended the year with a silver medal in the men's open singles during the 3rd Borneo Games which Brunei hosted last December.
Amanda Liew Jia Xin, the Sultanate's most prolific swimmer,will undoubtedly be picked for she was the only one to meet the benchmark set by JBS.
To be selected for the national team, all swimmers are required to better the "bronze" time of the previous edition of the Games. She will compete in the 50 metres breaststroke where her personal best is 36.06 seconds and 50m freestyle where her best time is 28.64s.
Liew will be joined by the duo of Mohd Naim Mohd Shafiee and Abd Afiq Hj Ali, who are set to compete in the 1m springboard event.
What about the young shuttlers who are currently sharpening up their skills in neighbouring Indonesia, Jasper Yu Woon Chai and Ak Halim Pg Ismail?
Last Monday Yu left for Jakarta, joining compatriot Ak Halim who had been there since December, for a training stint with the Tangkas Badminton Club. The club is well known for producing world and Olympic champions like Icuk Sugiarto, Hermawan Susanto, Joko Suprianto, Luis Ponggoh, Verawaty Fajrin, Rexy Mainaky and Lilyana Natsir.
Yu recently took part in the Yang Amat Mulia Pg Indera Mahkota Pg (Dr) Kamaluddin Al-Haj Badminton Championship Cup, which concluded on May 8.
The most promising national shuttler claimed a double in the tournament, smashing his way to both the Open Singles Under-23 and Men's Doubles A titles.
Yu and Ak Halim could be joined by Ihsan Zainuddin, Md Syahmil Fajrin Wahab and Md Sheril Shahizwan, who also competed in the tournament.
The trio are coached by JBS badminton coach, Wahab Moksin.
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