Muhammad Zarif eyeing Tekken 7 title in world meet

KUALA LUMPUR: eSports enthusiast Muhammad Zarif Aiman Aris has set his sights on emerging triumphant in the 10th International eSports Federation (IESF) World Championships, which will be held in Taiwan from today until Nov 13.

Muhammad Zarif, 19, said he’s ready to learn from his mistakes as he sets out to win the Tekken 7 crown and improve on his eighth spot last year .

“This will be my second appearance in the world meet. My previous outing has taught me not to lose focus and to have a never-say-die attitude.

“Last year I lost to a Filipino, who is the Tekken 7 champion. It was disappointing to end up in eighth spot. I have studied my weaknesses and maybe I was nervous on my debut.

“This time I am more confident after proper training. I hope to give a better fight and be more competitive,” he told reporters at the National Sports Council (NSC) Auditorium here.

Muhammad Zarif said he began taking an interest in the Tekken 7 game when he was 13.

Earlier, the Malaysian Electronic Sports Association held a ceremony to hand over the Jalur Gemilang to the national team competing at the World Championships.

The national team comprising Darius Yap Jian Han, Caleb Rao, Jason Wei Beh Jern, Vince Ng Chee Chuen, Jordan Tan Jiu Ming will battle it out in the League of Legends category while Aiman Azham, Shamir Aliff Saifu Khalish, Rusyaidee Nordin, Ashraf Firdaus Kamaruzaman and Azim Shaharudin will compete in the Global Offensive (CS:GO) category.

The world meet has been held annually since 2009, with Malaysia joining in 2010.

Since then, Malaysia has finished second in Tekken in 2012 and fourth in FIFA Online in 2010.

Malaysia has consistently managed a top-eight overall placing in the world meet, which attracts more than 40 countries. - Bernama