Silat's Hazim Yusli clinched a gold medal on his SEA Games debut by beating Vietnam's Nguyen Dinh Tuan 4-1 in the men's Class B (50-55kg) tanding (match) final yesterday.
The 18-year-old, who sealed victory with a side-kick to Nguyen's chest in the last 10 seconds, capped a perfect 2019 in which he was crowned the Sportsboy of the Year after winning gold at last December's World Championships.
"I feel overwhelmed because it was a close match and I had to fight till the last second," he said, in a phone interview.
"It is a memorable competition because it's my first SEA Games and I'm happy to be a champion."
Singapore's silat exponents garnered two golds, a silver and two bronzes at the Subic Bay Exhibition and Convention Center to finish joint-second with Vietnam, behind champions Indonesia.
On Monday, the men's artistic team of Nazrul Kamal, Nujaid Hasif and Hamillatu Arash had won a gold.
At the 2017 Games in Malaysia, the Republic won two golds, four silvers and six bronzes.
This year's Games featured fewer match categories, with only the lighter weight classes contested.
