Muhammad Izzul Irfan Marzuki defends his SEA Games title after a successful protest overturned his initial loss in the men’s Class D pencak silat final.
BANGKOK: National pencak silat exponent Muhammad Izzul Irfan Marzuki successfully defended his SEA Games gold medal following a dramatic three-hour suspense.
His victory in the men’s Class D (60–65kg) category was confirmed only after a successful Malaysian team protest.
Muhammad Izzul was initially adjudged to have lost 57-60 to Thailand’s Phiraphon Mitthasan in the final at Hall 4, IMPACT Arena.
The Malaysian team lodged an immediate protest after the bout concluded.
They contested that Phiraphon’s foot had stepped out of the arena while launching an attack, which was accepted by the referee.
The opponent was subsequently penalised 10 points, awarding Muhammad Izzul the win with a revised score of 57-50.
National Silat Federation of Malaysia president Datuk Megat Zulkarnain Omardin praised the athlete’s effort.
“I could see it was not easy for Izzul to win the gold medal because he fought his heart out,” he told reporters.
He added that facing the host nation is always a challenge, but the exponent deserved the gold he also won at the 2023 SEA Games.
Two other Malaysian exponents, Muhamad Helmi and Muhammad Amirul Hakim Jaaffar, secured silver medals.
Muhammad Amirul lost 37-85 to Thailand’s Areef Arli in the men’s Class E (65–70kg) event.
Muhamad Helmi was defeated 52-63 by Indonesia’s Tito Hendra Septa Kurnia in the men’s Class A (45–50kg) category.
Megat Zulkarnain also commended newcomer Ummi Mashitah Hassan for her gold medal performance.
Competing in her SEA Games debut, she defeated Thai athlete Anuntaya Nyompan 104-88 in the women’s Class C (55–60kg) event.
He noted she has only been practising the sport for two years.
The national silat camp surpassed its two-gold target, securing three gold medals overall.
Nur Syafiqah Hamzah won the first gold in the women’s individual event last Sunday with 9.960 points. – Bernama
