Taufiq lone ranger at AIMAG

Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

HIS Royal Highness Prince Hj Sufri Bolkiah, the President of the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council, called on national cueist Ahmad Taufiq Murni to put up his best at the 5^th Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.

The sabda was delivered by acting Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Zulkarnain Hj Hanafi during the flag handing ceremony this morning at the VIP Room of the Hassanal Bolkiah National Stadium in Berakas.

Taufiq, who will contest in the men’s 9-ball singles event, will be the lone athlete of the four-member contingent for the Sept 17-27 Games

“Such an opportunity should not be taken lightly in giving the best challenge to the opponents in the competition, as well as having high commitment and discipline as a national athlete,” said HRH.

“Because I believe in this way we can assess the quality and level of as a national athlete, besides our ability to improve to achieve success.

“Apart from having commitment and discipline, athletes should also have the attributes such as constant focus, strong competitiveness and mental strength, in the face of competition,” added the BDNOC president.

Yang Berhormat Dato Seri Setia Dr Hj Zulkarnain then handed over the flag to chef de mission Colonel Zahrin Hj Zunaidi.

Meanwhile, Taufiq’s last competition was the 8^th Golden Break 9-Ball Open Championship 2017 in Malaysia back in July where he made it into the semi-finals.

He has been training as usual since returning and is looking to take it one game at a time - in a competition which will feature some world class players.

“I will just play my game and see what happens. I will focus on the first round first and see how it goes,” said Taufiq, who turns 29 on Thursday, in an interview with BruSports News.

“My break is there and hopefully it will work during the competition. That is what I need,” he added.