No rest for S’wak elite bodybuilders
Sarawakian athletes return with medals from Indonesia, eye World Championships
KUCHING: After a commendable outing in Indonesia, Sarawakian bodybuilders have now set their sights on the 11th World Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation (WBPF) World Championships in South Korea early next month.
Seasoned musclemen Buda Anchah and Dr Malvern Abdullah bagged three medals at the just-concluded 53rd Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Championships in Batam.
Buda brought home a silver from the Men’s Bodybuilding Masters (40-49 Years) Up to 80kg category, and a bronze medal from Men’s Bodybuilding 70kg category while Malvern bagged the silver medal from Men’s Bodybuilding 60kg category.
Meanwhile, Asian championship debutante Philomena Dexclyn Siar clinched a top five finish in both Women’s Model Physique (Up to 165cm) and Model Physique (30-40 Years) categories.
They will now prepare for the South Korean meet.
“I guess there’s no rest for us. The World Championships are less than a month away. The preparations still have to go on,” said Buda when met upon arrival at Kuching International Airport (KIA) late yesterday.
Adding on, he said the hard work that had been put in since April this year was augmented further by the support received from many quarters, especially from the Sarawak government through Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, Youth and Sports Assistant Minister Datuk Snowdan Lawan, Sarawak State Sports Council, Sarawak Sports Corporation, Muara Tuang assemblyman Datuk Idris Buang who is the patron of Iron Hardcore Bodybuilding Club, Kuching South City Council mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng who is the president of Sarawak Bodybuilding Association, and also Sibu Resident Charles Siaw.
“Our thanks also go to Sibu Division Bodybuilding and Weightlifting Association and our endorser Enarmax for giving us the much-needed support.
“We hope that the assistance and sponsorship would continue for our next competition, the WBPF Championships. We strive to give our best, but we could not do it without your support,” he said.
In his remarks, Malvern expressed his appreciation to Prof Dato Dr Jamil Hamali, the rector of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sarawak, where he lectures.
“Prof Jamil has been so supportive of my involvement in this sport for years – I just have to thank him for his encouragement.
“We are also thankful to the MSN (National Sports Council) and the MBBF (Malaysian Bodybuilding Federation) for selecting us and also for their support every year.”
Similarly, Philomena conveyed her gratitude to Mas Gading MP Mordi Bimol for his sponsorship.
“I vow to perform better in the next meet. With further support, we believe we can do it,” she said.
Overall, the Malaysian contingent hauled two gold, three silver and one bronze medals from the championships.
The champions are Mohd Syarul Azman Mike Mahen Abdullah (Men’s Athletic Physique Up to 167cm) and Ahmad Faiz Ariffin (Men’s Athletic Physique Up to 175cm).
The other silver medal was clinched by Zmarul Al Adam Pulutan Abdullah in the Men’s Bodybuilding 70-75kg category.
The Batam event was organised by WBPF-affiliated Asian Bodybuilding and Physique Sports Federation (ABBF) and hosted by All-Indonesia Bodybuilding and Weightlifting Association (PABBSI).
It involved the participation of over 300 athletes and 200 officials from 28 countries across Asia.
The WBPF has announced that the next Asian meet will take place in Maldives from Sept 5 to 11 next year.
Meanwhile, this year’s World Championships will be held in the Jeju Island from Nov 5 to 11.
I guess there’s no rest for us. The World Championships are less than a month away. Buda Anchah