AGU Media, DOHA (QAT): Malaysia’s artistic gymnast Jern Rong hopes to pick up some medals at next month’s South East Asian Games in his hometown Kuala Lumpur from August 19-30.

“I’m ready for the Games. We’ve been training hard and hope to do well at the competition,” said the 19-year-old, who made his senior debut in 2014.

Vietnam are the favourites, but Rong exuded confidence that the hosts are capable of pulling off a few surprises.

“We’ll give them a good fight. We’ve a good opportunity in pommel horse and high bar. We can also expect a medal in the team event,” added Rong, who won the high bar gold medal at the Hong Kong Open this year.

Rong did not qualify in any of the finals at the Bangkok Asian Championships in May, but was pleased with his performances.
“I gained experience from the competition,” he added.

He scored 12.200 points in parallel bars, 13.000 (high bar), 12.800 (pommel horse) and 12.625 (rings).

Jeremiah Loo, who won a silver in pommel horse at the Singapore Games two years ago, Tan Fu Jie, Mohammad Abdul Azim Othman, Azroy Amierol Jaafar and Zul Bahrin Mat Asri are the other members in the squad.

Azim and Zul Bahrin are taking part in a month-long training-cum-competition in Moscow, Russia, and they are accompanied by Malaysian Gymnastics Federation President A Razak Mat Amin and team manager Azmi Hassan.

The men’s team will take part in the Taiwan Open next week as their final preparation for KL 2017.