Taqiyuddin, Rosli mesmerise judges

GANDA Putera (artistic) duo Taqiyuddin Hamid and Rosli Sharif gave a mesmerising show at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre to snatch a historic Sea Games silat gold from the jaws of world champions Indonesia.

Their three minute ‘fight’ using a six-foot pole and a kerambit (sickle) was acrobatic as well as dangerous.

There were many near misses, as the sickle in the hands of policeman Taqiyuddin flashed centimetres from the neck of his compatriot Rosli.

Rosli, with the pole, looked like he was ready to smash Taqiyuddin’s skull with wild swings.

But it was a routine that they have been practising for the last two years, and it earned them 582 points for a near-perfect execution.

Indonesia’s pair of Hendy and Yolla Primadona Jumpil had scored only 577 to win the world championship gold – and they looked shaken when they came in as the sixth contestants.

Even though they seemed to be equally good in their performance, the jury knew better and awarded them 554 points for silver.

Singapore’s Haziq Zainal and Nuajid Hafif won bronze on 544 points.

An elated Taqiyuddin said: “We practised this routine for two years and it paid off by presenting the nation with its first ever (ganda putera) gold medal.

“We were confident of winning gold, but never expected such a good score,” said Taquyuddin.

Rosli, a full-time silat exponent, said he was in a world of his own when performing.

“There was no pressure on me, as I totally blanked out the crowd and jury to concentrate on my performance. I was in a world of my own until the hooter for the three minute went off,” said Rosli.

While Malaysian fans and silat officials were overjoyed, the Indonesian coach Ganda head coach Tulus Priyadi cried: “Tidak munasabah, tidak munasabah” (not realistic).

“The score awarded by the jury to Malaysia is not realistic as even in the world championships, the highest score was 577 points,” lamented Tulus. Jugjet Singh