THE national team will find it harder to defend their title in the Deputy Prime Minister’s International Pencak Silat Cup as the competition gets tougher by the year.
The tournament, which is in its fifth edition, has attracted over 800 exponents from 15 countries compared to 11 last year with Japan, Uzbekistan, South Korea, India, the Philippines and Australia set to make their debut in Ipoh on Sept 15-20. Only 600 exponents competed last year.
National team manager Azli Puddin said he believes the Malaysian squad still have what it takes to clinch a fourth consecutive win but anticipates a much closer competition this time.
“I believe our main rivals will still be from Vietnam, Singapore and Indonesia but the fact that there are a lot more countries this year means the medals will be more spread out,” said Azli yesterday.
“We cannot afford to take any country for granted. Although some of the teams may be newer to the sport, they are talented and having come all the way here to compete, shows they are serious.
“We are well prepared as our athletes have undergone centralised training since February but they will have to perform to their full potential to make it count.”
Azli added that the tournament will also serve as a yardstick for the team’s readiness for the Palembang Asean University Games this December as many of the exponents will be competing in both events.
Malaysia achieved a third straight win last year with six gold, five silver and two bronze, which was lower than the 14-3-5 they managed in 2012 when the standard of the competition was much lower. By Fadhli Ishak