Lee ready for Asia's best

National wushu exponent Lee Ying Shi will compete in the Long Fist (Changquan) event at the Guangzhou Asian Games tomorrow. Picture: Infofoto

JASON THOMAS
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Monday, November 15, 2010

LEE Ying Shi knows exactly what she has to do when she takes to Nansha Gymnasium tomorrow.

Competing in the biggest event of her life in the one-day Long Fist (Changquan) event at the Guangzhou Asian Games, the 16-year-old Lee is the country's only athlete to see action tomorrow.

"Of course, I must concentrate and have confidence in myself," Lee told The Brunei Times when contacted yesterday.

"The training schedule is the same as in Brunei and we train here (in Guangzhou, China) twice a day. I think I have trained enough and I am ready to compete.

"This is the biggest tournament I've competed in and I am happy to be here.

"I feel proud to be part of the team and to have been the flag-bearer during the opening ceremony (on Friday)," she added.

The Sultanate's opened its campaign in the 16th edition of the multi-sport event through Lee's teammate, Faustina Woo Wai Sii, on Saturday.

The 18-year-old Woo scored a total of 15.9 points to place ninth of 10 competitors in the combined Southern Fist (Nanquan) and Southern Broad Sword (Nandao All-Round).

Both exponents are no strangers to international events, having already won medals at the 4th World Traditional Wushu Championship, 3rd Indoor Asian Games and 25th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games.

Though Woo's past success didn't count for anything in Guangzhou she was quick to focus on the positives.

"Most of the exponents I was up against (on Saturday) are professionals so this trip has been really good in terms of gaining experience," said Woo.

"I think I could have done better, but I injured myself during training when I was here," said Woo, explaining that she didn't land properly during a jump.

Fencing's Mohammad Yunos Hj Hamid will be the country's sole athlete competing on Friday while Pg Mohd Nasir Pg Anak Jaafar is set to see action in the equestrian show jumping discipline on Nov 24.

Karate-do's Muhammad Fida'iy Hj Sanif (men's kumite -60kg) and his older brother Mohammad Fadillah (men's kumite -67kg) will do battle on Nov 25, with Mainudin Hj Mohamad (men's kumite -75kg) and Mohammad Jamil Hj Abd Hamid (men's kumite -84kg) closing out the country's participation on Nov 26.

Meanwhile, the country's chef de mission said the team had adjusted well to the conditions in Guangzhou despite competing in a climate that many of them were unaccustomed to.

"The weather is getting colder here," said Hj Muhd Zamri DP Hj Hamdani when contacted yesterday.

"Especially in the mornings, it can get to 17 or 18 degrees Celsius while in the evenings it can get much colder, around 15 degrees," added the CdM.

"But is not a problem and our sports attire is good enough to handle the weather," he said, referring to the windbreakers which were issued to the contingent.The Brunei Times

Hj Muhd Zamri lauds Lee's result

Hj Muhd Zamri lauds Lee's result

Thursday, 18th November 2010

Brunei's chef de mission to the
Guangzhou Asian Games Hj
Muhd Zamri DP Hj Hamdani
(above) had nothing but praise for
16-year-old Lee Ying Shi who
placed 11th in a field of 14
competitors during Tuesday's Long
Fist (Changquan) event.
Picture: Infofoto

Brunei's chef de mission to the Guangzhou Asian Games has nothing but praise for Lee Ying Shi.

The 16-year-old placed 11th in a field of 14 competitors during Tuesday's Long Fist (Changquan) event at Nansha Gymnasium's Field A, agonisingly close to her goal of a Top-10 finish.

Preferring to focus on the positives, Hj Muhd Zamri DP Hj Hamdani said that the wushu exponent's result at the 16th edition of the Games must be put into perspective.

"Basically I am happy with her performance," he told The Brunei Times hours after Lee's performance.

"She wasn't last, she finished 11th out of the 14 competitors ... that's not too bad for her.

"You know, she has only been doing serious training for this discipline since June. All this while she has been doing Duilian (duo sparring) so this is new to her.

"Judging from her performance, she is just lacking in the degree of movement and degree of difficulty. So it is in those areas that need to be ... focused on," added the Deputy Director (II) of the Department of Youth and Sports.

The Sultanate's flag-bearer at last Friday's opening ceremony, Lee ended the day-long competition with 7.72 points.

The judges awarded Lee 4.2 out of five for quality of movement (A), 2.47 out of three for overall performance (B) and 1.05 out of 2 for degree of difficulty (C) scores she felt she could improve on.

Hong Kong's Geng Xiaoling won the event with a score of 9.75 (A:5, B:2.75 and C:2) while Myanmar's Oo Sandi Oo took home silver with 9.67 (A:5, B:2.67 and C:2).

Indonesia's Susyana Tjhan and Japan's Yuki Hiraoka were tied for third after both finished with identical 9.66 (A:5, B: 2.66 and C:2).

Hj Muhd Zamri hit the nail on the head when he said that competing in the Changquan discipline was something new for Lee, who is more at home participating in Duilian events.

Combining with Faustina Woo Wai Sii, the pair has rose to become one of the most successful partnerships in the national wushu team of late.

They took home gold in Duilian during the 4th World Traditional Wushu Championship in China in October, returned with silver during the 25th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Laos last December and came back with bronze from the 3rd Indoor Asian Games in Vietnam last November.

The chef de mission also pointed out, and rightly so, that Lee who has only been in the sport for three years was not on par with her competitors when it comes to experience.

"Some of her competitors have been in this (wushu) since they were five years old ... 10 years old," he said.

"She told me some of her competitors have 15 years of experience.

"The coach (Li Hui) suggested we identify talent as young as possible, and as you might know, we have identified some already ... some as young as four or five years old have already joined the wushu team.

I hope these people will be able to deliver in future Games," added Hj Muhd Zamri, the vice-president of the Brunei Darussalam National Olympic Council (BNOC).

He also touched on the issue of how the lack of mats for the wushu team also played a part in Lee's showing. The team only got them (the mats) in June; before that they were only able to train properly overseas.

"Despite the limitation of mats she did well," he said.

"Though they were training in Brunei before that it was not rigorous. Without the mats it is very risky," said Hj Muhd Zamri, who also headed the contingent to last December's Laos SEA Games.

Courtesy from Brunei Times

Lee and Woo go down fighting

Lee and Woo go down fighting

Wednesday, 17th November 2010

16-year-old Lee Ying Shi finished
11th in a field of 14 competitors
during yesterday's Long Fist
(Changquan) event at Nansha
Gymnasium's Field A. Picture:
Infofoto

Lee Ying Shi has vowed to use her experience competing at the Guangzhou Asian Games to spur her to greater heights.

The 16-year-old finished 11th in a field of 14 competitors during yesterday's Long Fist (Changquan) event at Nansha Gymnasium's Field A, just short of her target of a Top-10 finish at the 16th edition of the Games.

Brunei's flag-bearer at last Friday's opening ceremony, Lee finished with 7.72 points which were derived from her performance in three criteria.

The judges awarded Lee 4.2 out of a possible five points for quality of movement (A), 2.47 out of three for overall performance (B) and 1.05 out of 2 for degree of difficulty (C) scores she felt she could improve on.

"I hope to train and improve more," Lee told The Brunei Times yesterday.

"Before the competition I said I had to concentrate and be confident, and that's what I did.

"I wasn't nervous at all. I don't know how to explain this but... I think I can do better. I was careless and my jumping movements had no balance.

"My competitors are all more experienced than me. Some of them have been learning and training for at least 10 years I have just been doing wushu for three years," said Lee, who was competing in the biggest event of her life.

Hong Kong's Geng Xiaoling won gold with a score of 9.75 (A:5, B:2.75 and C:2) while Myanmar's Oo Sandi Oo finished with with silver on 9.67 (A:5, B:2.67 and C:2).

Indonesia's Susyana Tjhan and Japan's Yuki Hiraoka shared the bronze medal after both finished with identical 9.66 (A:5, B: 2.66 and C:2).

To be fair to Lee, she was not competing in her favoured duilian (duo sparring) event, the discipline which has seen her make a name for herself in the local wushu scene. Teaming up with Faustina Woo Wai Sii, the pair have helped put Brunei on the map through their medals in the event.

They won gold during the 4th World Traditional Wushu Championship in China in October, finished with silver during the 25th Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Laos last December and came back with bronze from the 3rd Indoor Asian Games in Vietnam last November.

Unfortunately for Lee, the event was not competed in Guangzhou.

Despite her result, Lee remained upbeat and felt that her trip to Guangzhou was time well spent.

"My competitors are really experienced and I was able to learn a lot from them. Things like how to be confident during the competition, the jumping movements...," she said.

"I don't really feel sad or disappointed about my result. Actually, I am sort of happy since I beat three competitors.

"Now that the Games are over for me I will be watching the other events," she added.

Lee finished ahead of Laos' Soudaphone Chanlapheng (7.52), Kazakhstan's Anel Sanat Kyzy (7.29) and Lebanon's Patricia Nseir (7.28).

Woo also saw action at the Games, the first Bruneian to take to the arena when she competed in the combined Southern Fist (Nanquan) and Southern Broad Sword (Nandao All-Round) event last Saturday.

The 18-year-old Woo scored a total of 15.9 points to place ninth of 10 competitors.

After five days of competition, the sport comes to a close today with eight events contested.

The country continues its quest at the Chinese metropolis on Friday through fencing's Mohammad Yunos Hj Hamid.

Pg Mohd Nasir Pg Anak Jaafar is set to see action in the equestrian show jumping discipline next Wednesday while karate-do's Muhammad Fida'iy Hj Sanif (men's kumite -60kg) and his older brother Mohammad Fadillah (men's kumite -67kg) will do battle next Thursday.

Mainudin Hj Mohamad and Mohammad Jamil Hj Abd Hamid will be the last of the country's eight athletes to do battle at the Games when they compete in the men's kumite -75kg and men's kumite -84kg next Friday.

Courtesy from Brunei Times

Let the games begin!

Saturday, November 13, 2010

Flagbearer and national wushu exponent Lee Ying Shi (second from left) leads the Brunei contingent during the opening ceremony of the 16th Asian Games in Guangzhou last night. The Asian Games officially opened with a glitzy gala ceremony in China yesterday.

The Greatest Pride of All, to hoist a nation's flag

It was without a shadow of a doubt, that no other would deserve this than her. My heart was feeling so explosive when I had that moment to glorify and accept The Greatest Pride of All. Guangzhou was between  16℃～26℃ with a dashing spark and magnetism in the air. The environment was electrifying and there goes the 16th Asian Games to begin from 12th to 27th of November 2010.


Everyone laughed when I was anxious and immediately exploded to salute as they made fun of me being patriotic and loyal as my national team passed. Little did most know that the bearer of the pole was one that I respect and give my highest honor toward her.


I'm proud of you, my dearest cousin, Jenebelle Lee Ying Shi. I will be with you the entire competition and will bless you and wish you all the best and good luck in bringing home our GOLD.


The article below explains: http://www.bt.com.bn/sports-national/2010/11/12/top-honours-wushus-lee

Top honours for wushu's Lee

Lee Ying Shi (L) dan Faustina Woo Wai Sii (R) posing with their silver medals during the 25th Sea Games held in Laos in 2009. Sixteen-year-old Lee has been given the honour to carry the nation's flag at tonight's Guangzhou Asian Games opening ceremony.Picture: Infofoto

JASON THOMAS
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN

Friday, November 12, 2010

Sixteen-year-old to carry national flag

SIXTEEN-year-old Lee Ying Shi has been given the honour to carry the nation's flag at tonight's Guangzhou Asian Games opening ceremony.

A multi-titled wushu exponent, Lee will lead the way for the country's contingent of nine athletes that Brunei has sent to compete in five sports during the 16th edition of the Games.

With medals at the 4th World Traditional Wushu Championship, 3rd Indoor Asian Games and 25th Southeast Asian Games to her name, there probably isn't a better candidate to hoist the flag than the young Lee, who will compete in the one-day Long Fist (Changquan) event next Tuesday.

Apart from wushu, Brunei will also be seeing action in cue sports, equestrian, fencing and karate-do.

The hotly-anticipated opening ceremony in the fabled Pearl River's Haixinsha Island promises to dazzle with light and sound, with 45 boats being used just to ferry the thousands of athletes from the 45 participating countries.

As the first Asian Games opening ceremony to be held in a venue other than a stadium, the show's director has promised the event will surprise the world.

China has promised a traditional, water-themed opening ceremony for the games to kick start the country's biggest sports event since the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

Organisers are keeping the identity of the final torch bearer a closely guarded secret, along with the method of lighting the Asian Games cauldron on Friday evening.

Associated Press, however, reported that the Asian Games cauldron might be lit by Chinese table tennis great Deng Yaping, current table tennis player Ma Lin, two-time Olympic judo gold medalist Xian Dongmei or footballer Rong Zhixing

"It will definitely bring us an unexpected surprise," said He Jiqing, deputy director of opening and closing ceremonies for the Games.

"The lighting of the fire will be full of Chinese characteristics. Chinese people will love it and this is something they are familiar with," he told reporters.

While the grand splendour of the opening of the Beijing Olympics in 2008 will be hard to match, the Asian Games ceremony will draw on traditional southern Chinese culture and feature a strong watery theme given its setting on tiny Haixinsha island on the Pearl River which runs through the heart of Guangzhou.

Apart from the mysterious fire-lighting ritual, the opening ceremony will feature 6000 performers, a blitz of fireworks and athletes will enter on a flotilla of boats.

Citizens in the area have reportedly been urged to switch on their lights during the ceremony to complement a hail of lighting installations to provide a glittering backdrop, though a pall of smog blanketing the city in the run-up could dim such an effect.

"We are told it would be clear weather tomorrow night and everything will be good and smooth," He said.

When contacted yesterday Brunei's chef de mission to the Games had nothing but good things to say when asked about how the international multi-sport event was panning out so far.

"In a single word; excellent!" Hj Muhd Zamri DP Hj Hamdani told The Brunei Times yesterday.

"They (Guangzhou Asian Games Organising Committee - GAGOC) have prepared very well in every area. In terms of security to... you name it, everything is in place.

"The food is, I should say, above excellent.

"Everything is available here. Southeast Asian, East Asian, European ... everything. Most of the food is halal and there is even a halal McDonalds outlet here.

"The accommodation is international standard and there are no complaints. We were also given four liaison officers to help us around.

"Guangzhou has done a good job," he added.

The wushu and fencing team have already started training at their respective venues. Karate have only had sessions at the Athletes Village and will be able to use the official training venue tomorrow.The Brunei Times