National fencer Yu Peng Kean's Sea Games comeback did not go to plan as he succumbed to back-to-back defeats in the preliminary round of the men's individual sabre in Hanoi yesterday.
Peng Kean lost to Vietnam's Nguyen Xuan Loi (5-3), Thailand's Srinulanad Voragun (5-1), Philippines' Concepcion Christian Jhester Moloboco (5-1) and Singapore's Chan Phu Xien (5-2), and thus did not advance to the semi-finals at the Hanoi Indoor Games Gymnasium.
Peng Kean, who has struggled with knee injuries throughout his career, retired from the sport in February 2017 but decided to return for the Sea Games.
The 31-year-old, whose last Sea Games appearance was in 2015 (Singapore), admitted it was not the result he was hoping for.
"I did not do well today (yesterday). My performance was not what I was hoping for," said Peng Kean.
"My physical and mental preparations for the Sea Games went well, however, the problem I had was that I did not have a training partner.
"There are no other sabre fencers (in the team) so I was training alone. It was not easy to sharpen up my game without a sparring partner.
"I still hope to continue competing in the future, but I will have to look at how to overcome this problem."
Peng Kean was part of the men's sable team that won gold at the 2011 Palembang edition. He had also won bronze in the individual sabre at the same edition.