Moments after beating Indonesia's Shafril Asad Habibullah 19-10 to claim his second world title on Dec 22, national silat exponent Sheik Ferdous Sheik Alauddin glanced at the TV camera and shrugged.
It was an understated yet confident gesture from an athlete who had just ended a six-year wait to reclaim gold on the world stage.
Back competing in his preferred weight category, the Class I (85-90kg) division, at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre, the 28-year-old was out to prove his detractors wrong.
Ferdous said: "The drive is different. The first time was like, 'I want to win it in Singapore, this is my first time that I'm going to be a world champion'.
"The desire to win is the same, if not greater. I wanted to prove a point to myself and people who doubted me.
"It was to tell them that I am at this level and the difference this time is that this was not on home ground, so there's no reason to say I had home-ground advantage or advantage of any form."
Ferdous' faith in himself was cultivated over a tough few years that were riddled with personal setbacks.
This story is from the December 23, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the December 23, 2024 edition of The Straits Times.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Rust prosecutor withdraws appeal of dismissal of Alec Baldwin case
The effort to prosecute Alec Baldwin (right) for the fatal shooting of a cinematographer in 2021 ended on Dec 23, when the special prosecutor withdrew her appeal of the judge's decision to dismiss the involuntary manslaughter charge during the actor's trial.
Stray Kids' album Hop gets historic sixth Billboard 200 No. 1
K-pop boy band Stray Kids marked a historic milestone by ranking No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart for the sixth time with their latest album, Hop.
New entries to a hallowed catalogue: The holiday album
NEW YORK A holiday album offers musicians a chance to adopt or reinvent a classic format and show fans a different side of themselves. Here is a sampling of 2024’s releases, from singers exploring the standards to artistes rethinking the meaning of the holidays.
‘I was upstaging myself constantly'
Actor Jim Carrey comes out of retirement to play dual geniuses in Sonic The Hedgehog 3
Binge-worthy Gong Yoo shows fragile, vulnerable side in The Trunk
A gunshot and sinking of the titular trunk set up this psychological-romance drama led by South Korean star Gong Yoo.
Thrills and spills abound in legal thriller Juror #2, airport actioner Carry-On
The story: Hollywood icon Clint Eastwood's 40th directorial feature has a juror (Nicholas Hoult) in a high-profile murder trial weighing a crisis of conscience.
History is handled with care in Harbin
The period drama directed by Woo Min-ho is a handsome but reverent account of a Korean hero
The extremely offline joy of the board game club
When Ms Michelle Kong started a chess club in 2023, hoping to meet other players in their 20s, attendance was so meagre that she needed only one chessboard.
You may not need protein powder if you are eating right
But if it is necessary to use the supplement, choose one that has fewer extra ingredients
Exercise helps with almost everything, including hangovers
Electrolyte drinks, ibuprofen, a bagel overflowing with bacon, egg and cheese - everyone has his or her own way of nursing a hangover.
