Pencak silat team works out for Games

(15-02-2005)

HA NOI — Viet Nam’s martial art pencak silat team expects to win its share of gold medals in the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines this year in an effort to finish in the top three of the overall medal count, said coach Nguyen Ngoc Anh in an interview.

A group of 40 artists will gather at the National Sports Training Centre 1 in Nhon near Ha Noi for a year of intense training leading up to the competition.

"This SEA Games will be a great challenge for Viet Nam sport in general and pencak silat in particular because the host, the Philippines, decided the number of events," said the coach.

In the last SEA Games held in Viet Nam, the team took 11 gold medals out of 22 events, but this year number of medals in the sport was reduced to 14.

Viet Nam, along with Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore and the Philippines, is a pencak silat giant.

Viet Nam has relied on silat to boost its medal tally in many of the SEA Games since 1997. They also won the sport’s world championship in Malaysia in 2001 and last year in Singapore.

"Our silat athletes have to overcome many rivals in the 23rd SEA Games to get a berth in the finals," said the coach. "Although we are the world champions, our young artists need more experience to defend the reputation away from home."

The Vietnamese artists expect to dominate in the 10 tanding (combat) events, but the four seni (performance) events will be a challenge for Viet Nam.

The team includes world champions in the women’s divisions, such as Le Thi Hang in the 50kg class, Le Thi Thu Huong in the 60kg division, and Le Thi Hong Ngoan in the heavyweight 75kg category. Nguyen Ngoc Anh, in 60kg, Le Anh Tuan, in 70kg and Dinh Cong Son in the 75kg class are the leaders in the men’s event.

According to the Viet Nam Olympic Committee, Viet Nam’s athletes will need to earn at least 70 gold medals out of 388 events in the 23rd Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in the Philippines next year to rank in the top three. — VNS