Little Shafiq down but not out

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Jumaat, with Shafiq (second left) on his right, strikes a pose with the rest of the Malaysian contingent at Bangkok National Stadium.

Jumaat, with Shafiq (second left) on his right, strikes a pose with the rest of the Malaysian contingent at Bangkok National Stadium.

KUCHING: It is always disappointing to lose but Sarawak’s pint-size fighter Shafiq Rushidi remains undaunted.

The 13-year-old Sarawakian was defeated by Australia’s Torrens Joshua during the Junior 46-48kg preliminaries in the just-concluded International Federation of Muaythai Amateurs (IFMA) Royal Cup 2015 tournament in Bangkok, Thailand.

Shafiq was noticeably upset by the outcome at first but he soon regained his composure and congratulated his opponent for a bout well fought.

Sarawak Muaythai Association (PMNS) president Jumaat Ibrahim had nothing but words of encouragement for his little charge.

“Yes, it’s a bitter medicine to swallow, especially with him winning the same category at last year’s IFMA championships in Langkawi. However, Shafiq is still young and his future is bright – provided that he works really hard for it and remains committed.

“Today may not be his day, but I’m confident that he won’t let this setback hold him down. He will persevere,” Jumaat told The Borneo Post here yesterday.

Shafiq was among seven national exponents taking part in the two-week international tournament, which concluded at Bangkok National Stadium last weekend.

The Malaysian team bagged two silver medals through Muhammad Radzi Ismail of Perlis and Muhammad Firdaus Che Halim of Kedah, as well as three bronze through Muhammad Azrizal Azman of Selangor, Nurul Syahirah Shahrin Borhan of Negeri Sembilan and Mohd Azizi Shamsuddin of Terengganu.

Muhammad Rais Mohd Junaidi of Pahang like Shafiq lost during the preliminaries.

Meanwhile, the Malaysian Muaythai Association (PMM) assured all, notably families of the Malaysian athletes and officials, concerning the safety of the national contingent despite the recent bombing in Bangkok.

“The tournament’s venue and our place of accommodation are a distance away from the site of the incident. We want to assure parents and families of members of the Malaysian contingent that we are safe. The organisers have been working closely with the Thai authorities in ensuring safety and security throughout the competition,” PMM stated on its official Facebook page.