Yee Chun Leong
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
NATIONAL wushu athlete Basma Lachkar has been selected as one of two flag-bearers to lead Brunei out at the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China on Saturday.
Participating nations will have two flag-bearers - one male and one female - and she is joined by three-time SEA Games gold medallist Md Adi Salihin Roslan.
Basma was previously the flag-bearer for Brunei at the 30th SEA Games in the Philippines back in 2019.
"I feel grateful and honoured to once again be given the opportunity to be the flag-bearer for Brunei at this year’s Asian Games," said Basma in an interview with BruSports News on Friday.
"It will be a precious moment that I will cherish, especially being there with my teammates, and coaches as well as officials to experience the opening ceremony," she added.
Basma will contest in both the women's taijijian and taijiquan events at the Sept 23 - Oct 8 Games.
The 20-year-old is ready and looking forward to the competition.
"We have been preparing for these Games for quite awhile," said Basma, who clinched gold at the World Games 2022.
"We have trained very hard and our bodies are prepared so now we just have to perform to our best," she concluded.
Brunei is sending a total of 11 athletes to compete in three sports - weightlifting and karatedo being the others - at the Games.
The other wushu exponents include her younger brother Walid, Hosea Wong, Lim Yee Sean and Majdurano Joel Majallah Sain.
The quartet of Farhah Syahirah Mohd Shamrin, Rodhayatul Adwanna Bakar, Farhana Najeeh Abdul Rahman and Muhd Harith Dahlan will contest in karatedo.
Last but not least, Nina Juna will take to the stage in weightlifting.
