| Fadhil Yunus |
UNITE TKD Club emerged as overall champions of the 6th Brunei Junior Taekwondo Championship 2018 after collecting a haul of 15 gold, 14 silver and four bronze at the Youth Centre in the capital over the course of three-day competition which began last Saturday.
Hybrid Martial Arts Academy secured second place after collecting 11 gold, 16 silver and 11 bronze while Rick TKD Club settled for third place with nine gold, five silver and five bronze.
Dynamic TKD Dojang finished fourth while fifth and sixth place went to Apex SMPIHM and Wiraseni TKD Academy, respectively.
Unite claimed their first overall winners title in a prize presentation ceremony which was held at the Youth Centre yesterday, ending a lengthy wait after running close several times having finished either second or third.
The team has trained for few months in order to be competition-ready with the number of days per week reduced as the tournament got closer.
“We helped build the students’ stamina first and then their endurance. For the first month, we did everything for them to be in preparation especially the mental and physical side,” said Manager Ahmad Bohari Agliam bin Mohd Yassin in an interview with the Bulletin.
“Some of them go to the gym after school, they had to sacrifice their time to get into the best condition,” he said.
The win was extra sweet for Ahmad Bohari and his management team after learning from past experiences and finally getting it right in the tournament.
The manager added that the students attended training three to four times per week and as the competition got closer the number of days is reduced.
When asked how the victory ranked among the other accomplishments that Unite has enjoyed in their history, Ahmad Bohari said that their triumph exceeded his expectations.
“It was more than what I have expected of them. It is our first time winning the competition in the overall category.”
“We learn from our mistakes from the management, the coaches and the volunteers especially those in ringside. Basically, they performed very well.”
“I improvised them because before this I don’t have any position for them to start up how they can manage their time. Now that I’m in charge of every one of them, I have to plan every single step,” the manager said.