Dreams do come true, Singapore Panna Champion

After staying in the hospital for a week, I was finally discharged on Friday and I took part in the Singapore Panna Championship on the following day. It was an important day as it was the first competition that my crew is organizing. It shows how far we have come along and after all the hard work, we are now capable of organizing events/competition for the community in Singapore to compete in.

My condition was not good since my chest pain is still there but since my stay in the hospital, I have been getting better compared to when i first admitted. It was important for me not to overexert myself as once the pain occur, it will take quite a while before it subside and during that time it would be impossible to play. Nonetheless I was willing to take the risk as winning Singapore champion was the goal I set for myself from the start and I really want to prove to everyone that I could do it.

It was a really nice and cheerful vibe at the competition and I was glad to see everyone together again after a long time. It was good seeing so many new guys improve so much and I was happy seeing the guys that I met up often to train doing well in the competition.

Throughout the competition, I felt like I had no stamina at all and I was short on breath. Half way through most of my match I would find it hard to breathe and unable to focus on the game. However, I tried to give my all and use different method to attack and defend that will help me reserve energy as I was struggling to keep up with the pace of the game. Fortunately I was able to win all my games and make it to the finals.

I met Shahrul in the finals, in my eyes, he was the guy to beat right from the start as he has won his fair share of competitions and he is always one of the favorites to win any panna competition. Though I have a strong desire to win him in competition but I always respect him as a player. He is not only a good player that always play with lots of flare and skills but most importantly he always play with sportsmanship and display fairness and respect in every game. During my one week in the hospital, I was unable to train or touch a ball at all. So apart from doing the last min work for the competition, I also watch all his videos from past competitions and study the way he play. I tried to figure out his strength and also his weakness so that I could use the knowledge to play smarter.

Luckily, I was able to win the competition and I was really happy. Winning Singapore champion was the first and only goal I set for myself since I started, and for more than a year, I trained incredibly hard almost every single day with the hope of accomplishing this dream. At long last, the dream was finally accomplished.

The progress and dedication to reach here was not easy, I receive lots of criticism for the way I play panna, my training methods and many more. Despite all that, I think the most important think is you have to believe in yourself. It doesn't matter what others think, just work hard and give your all, nothing is impossible!