Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
Cover photo: Courtesy of Runtrail Nation
WEIGHTLIFTING couple - Nashrul Abu Bakar and Liyana Sidek - will take centre stage as Brunei make their debut in the sport at the 32nd SEA Games in Cambodia next month.
Nashrul will contest in the men's U61kg category while Liyana in the women's U49kg catgeory.
Nashrul holds the national record in the category with a total of 227kg achieved at the Commonwealth Games last year.
On the other hand, Liyana set the national record in the women's U55kg category at the Asian Championships in Bahrain back in October.
"We are excited and blessed to be given this opportunity to wave our flag high and pave the way for the future of the sport," said Liyana in a recent interview with BruSports News.
"Competition will be tough, as Southeast Asia is carried by very strong lifters from our neighbouring countries.
"My goal is to set a new national record for the women's U49kg category and beat my previous best set in Bahrain last year," she added.
Nashrul's target is to be better even if it is just marginal.
"My goal has always been the same for every competition. It's to beat my previous record even just by 1kg," said Nashrul.
"I have a personal goal of going 230kg since I fell short of that target at the Commonwealth Games," he added.
When asked on expectations against the top competitors in the region, Nashrul replied "To be sharing the stage with the heavy hitters of Southeast Asia such as Indonesia, Vietnam and Malaysia, has got to be the most intimidating.
"But it's these kinds of exposure we as athletes need to learn in order to grow," added the 26-year-old.
The pair have had to adjust their training schedule during the month of Ramadhan.
"In previous years, we were extremely fatigued having to juggle training and work so we knew some changes had to be made," said Liyana.
"We train fasted during the day, and around our job to leave the evenings and nights to prioritise recovery, food and sleep," she added.
The pair are thankful for the support to get them to where they are.
"We could not have done it without the support of our family, friends and the very people we surround ourselves with everyday," said Nashrul.
"I would also like to thank all the support we’ve had leading up to the Games, for without support, this would be a very tough road for us," added Liyana.
"We are very blessed to be able to do what we love and represent the sport we love. We hope we do you proud, Brunei," she concluded.
