Manama, Bahrain, October 27: The one-boy band from Myanmar failed to hit the right notes in Sunday’s show jumping event at the 3rd Asian Youth Games in Bahrain.
Phyo Kyaw Myint Than, the only athlete from Myanmar in Bahrain, participated in equestrian show jumping event, but he failed to finish on his borrowed horse, stallion Mano Kinsky.
“I prepared extensively before arriving in Bahrain, but had limited time to get acquainted with the horse I was given here. The rider-horse relationship is crucial in show jumping,” Kyaw said.
“Nevertheless, it was not a wasted experience and I gained valuable experience,” he added after finishing bottom of the 51-strong field in the Jumping Individual event.
The gold medal was won by 15-year-old Malaysian Princess Sharifah Ariel Budriah Jamalullail who rode her own horse Panamera Z. As in all equestrian disciplines, men and women, in this case boys and girls, compete on equal terms.
Kyaw will also bravely fly the Myanmar flag in the endurance event which gets underway in the evening of the penultimate day, and ends in the early hours of October 31, the final day of the games.
“We wanted to bring more athletes and had targeted esports and golf, but unfortunately it didn’t quite work out,” says Myanmar Chef de Mission U Tun Thant.
He explained that the esports titles the Myanmar team were training on were not being contested at the games. In golf, the athletes picked had to forgo the chance to come to Bahrain due to a clash with an international tournament where they had the opportunity to boost their world ranking points.
“Because of these issues, we lost esports and golf, and it was too late to get other sports involved,” says delegation head Thant.
The winds of change have been blowing through sports in Myanmar since the start of this year with the election of a new NOC President – Jeng Phang Naw Taung.
“He is also the Minister for Sport and Youth Affairs in Myanmar and since he became NOC President in February, we have seen a new impetus sweeping through sports in the country.
“It was Mr. Taung who told us that we should field a sizable team at the Asian Youth Games, as it would be good for our young athletes to get this international experience. Unfortunately, the size of our squad was reduced at the last minute,” added Thant. It was left to show-jumper Kyaw to carry the flag for his country.
Thant noted: “It is a good experience for him, coming here. We are trying so hard to elevate sports in our country, and our athletes need all the exposure they can get.”
