Burma’s Zayer has beaten Laos’ Thanphonh Simphilavong in the first round of the men’s pencak silat event in Naypyidaw.
Zayer, who is competing in the 45-50 kg weight category, now goes through to the semi-finals, which will be held on Wednesday in Naypyidaw’s Zayar Thiri Stadium.
At the beginning of the fight, the Lao player was leading on points, however the Burmese managed to fight back, and with the roaring partisan crowd behind him, Zayer secured a 5-point lead to bring the final score to 20-15.
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Zayer’s coach, Tin Oo, spoke to DVB after the fight and said, this year, the event has strong competitors.
“Everyone played well – both our team and the other countries,” said the Burmese pencak silat team’s head coach.
“This is a competition featuring only good players so it should be a tough road ahead. We are hoping to win four gold medals at this games.”
Pencak Silat is an Indonesian martial art. Players score points by making a direct hit to their opponent’s chest and body with their hands or feet. There are three rounds to each match and two minutes per round.
