| Fadhil Yunus |
BRUNEI Darussalam darts player Pengiran Mohamed bin Pengiran Haji Matarsad has been rewarded entry to the 2018 Lakeside BDO World Professional Darts Championship after winning the Asian qualifier at the Federal Hotel in Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur recently.
The Bruneian ace stunned Prussian of the Philippines 2-0 to clinch his place in the world stage having also outlasted 200 hopefuls from across Asia along the way including competitors from hosts Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, India, Iran, Mongolia and Japan.
Pengiran Mohamed will be representing Asia in the BDO (British Darts Organisation) World Championship with Brunei Darussalam being represented for the first time at the Lakeside. With one slot reserved for every qualifying region and no player from Asia ranked in the top 25, he is also Asia’s last man standing.
The Bruneian joined other qualifiers from other regions including from Australia, Baltic/Scandinavia, Canada, Eastern Europe, New Zealand, USA and Western Europe to assemble against the world’s finest players including world number one and reigning BDO world champion Glen Durrant.
Pengiran Mohamed hoped that his breakthrough in reaching the world stage can help highlight that there is potential for Brunei to earn recognition on a global scale.
“My intention to invest my time in darts is to show the world that Brunei darts are of the highest quality and not far off than other world ranked players,” said Pengiran Mohamed in an interview.
The darts player highlighted that there is a tough challenge against professional players before adding that he has played darts for 30 years.
Asked about his plans in preparation for the world-level tournament, Pengiran Mohamed said, “I will continue my training in preparation for London because the players there are difficult to play against. I have to be prepared both mentally and physically.
“My hope is to succeed in BDO for the first time for Asia even though it is difficult but if we are determined and confident we can succeed.”
Pengiran Mohamed joined Turkey’s Umit Uygonsozlu as the first player to represent his nation in the world championship.
The darts player also expressed his sincere gratitude to the Department of Civil Aviation and the Ministry of Communications as well as the Department of Youth and Sports for providing assistance in his darts career.
The 2018 Lakeside BDO World Professional Darts Championship will be held at the Lakeside Country Club in Frimley Green, Surrey from January 6-14, 2018.
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