Bangkok--10 Aug--Sports Authority of Thailand
Two foreign Muay Thai boxers who won’t go home disappointed are Philippines silver medalists Zaidi Laruan and “Jenny” So Ming Wa the female championship boxer from Hong Kong.
Before the match yesterday both athletes confided that it would be difficult to match their strong Thai opponents, but “Jenny “felt that she had spent all her time training and was “in with a chance”.
Zaidi Laruan said “Muay Thai entered the Philippines in 1980s and was introduced to the country by Mr. Roberto Valdez, who is now President of the Thai Boxing Association in the Philippines. “The sport is growing and gaining more popularity”, he added.
When asked about his opinion for the final match, he said that it would be a difficult match against the strong Thai opponent, Weerapol Kwangkhwang. “Weerapol and I have met before in the Prince Cup” he said. “In that fight, I lost to him on points. He is a very tough opponent.” He also added “Thailand certainly has an advantage from the many Muay Thai athletes. “Muay Thai is very big in Thailand, so there are many people who have learned Muay Thai, so it makes the quality of athletes better when there are more athletes competing in the sport”, said Zaidi. “This martial art competition is very good because it gives me experience on an international stage which is necessary to become really good in the sport. I have made many new friends and I am very impressed by the facilities and convenience that the host provides” Zaidi told us with a smile
“Jenny” or So Ming Wa from Hong Kong not only contests in Muay Thai competition, but is also a gym supervisor in Hong Kong. It’s not only Muay Thai that Jenny has passion for; she also loves the sunshine in Thailand, so much that she used to come to Thailand four times a year.
Jenny is very determined to win this competition, judging from the time she has spent on training. “It is a shame that I did not get to know any other new athletes, because I have spent all of my free time training”, said Jenny. “I love every aspect of the sport especially when I am preparing for a match because it gives me concentration. I have to give everything to my training especially my co-ordination because everything is unpredictable, it gives me the excitement and the challenge that I love about Muay Thai.”, said Jenny with passion.
She added that the 1st Asian Martial Arts Games is going to make Muay Thai more popular in the world at the same time as giving athletes like her the chance to further improve skills by gaining experience. “Thailand and Thai people are very nice; everything about the competition has been satisfying for me apart from Bangkok’s traffic jam.
Jenny is facing Molthira Vatanapackdee whom she expects this match to be the toughest match which worth the final match for gold.
The two athletes were proud to receive silver but with their passion have their sights firmly set for gold at the next meet.
The Muay Thai competition at the 1st Asian Martial Art Games has received enormous attention from spectators, particularly through the daily TV broadcasts. Although it is a martial art that is unique and related to the host nation, it has received more than a satisfying response from other nations, judging from the number of the countries and athletes participating in the Muay Thai competition.
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