Sarawak Taekwondo exponents back from SEA Championships with three firsts
KUCHING (July 15): The Sarawak ITF contingent flew the Malaysian flag proudly at the 2nd Southeast Asia Taekwondo Championships held in Phnom Penh, Cambodia from June 27 to July 1.
They collected a total of 16 medals comprising three gold, seven silver and six bronze medals.
Team captain Nur Zulaikha Mohd Rasdi (individual patterns), Donnie Low (power breaking) and rising talent Ahmad Ryqal (individual sparring) were the gold medallists. Returning with silvers were Donnie Low (team pattern, team sparring, self-defence routine and team special techniques) and Nur Zulaikha (individual sparring below 57kg, special technique and team special techniques).
Bronze medals hung on the necks of Charlotte Tie Enn (individual pattern), Donnie Low (men's veteran pattern), Josephine Tiong (team special techniques, Nur Zulaikha (team special techniques) and Joane Lim (individual pattern).
Meanwhile, the Malaysian women's squad of Nur Zulaikha, Charlotte Tie, Angeline Chai, Joane Lim and Josephine Tiong earned silver in team patterns and bronze in team sparring. They were reported to have captivated the judges and spectators with the precision of synchronisation.
The regional tournament attracted over 250 athletes from Cambodia, Vietnam, Indonesia, Singapore, the Philippines, Thailand and Malaysia,
ITF Sarawak chief instructor Grandmaster Johnny Chai attributed his team's success to discipline, systematic training and dedication.
Looking ahead, the Sarawak team is setting its sights on the 11th ITF Asian Taekwon-Do Championships in Mongolia next year. 2nd Southeast Asia Taekwondo Championships Sarawak ITF contingent
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Star
32 minutes ago
- The Star
Aina won't let tender years stop her from big aims
PETALING JAYA: Nur Aina Maisarah Hatta is one of the youngest shuttlers in the Malaysian team headed to the Asian Junior Championships which starts on Friday in Solo, Indonesia, but she is not letting that stop her from aiming big in the tourney. The 15-year-old, who is set to compete in both the girls' doubles and mixed doubles with Nuraqilah Maisarah Ramdan and Irfan Shazmir respectively, is out to win a medal in her debut Asian meet. Aina and Nuraqilah only combined in April but did not take long to impress by finishing runners-up to teammates and last year's World Junior Championships silver medallists Dania Sofea Zaidi-Low Zi Yu in the Slovak Open in May. While all attention has been on Dania-Zi Yu, Aina and the 18-year-old Nuraqilah have gone under the radar but this suits them just fine as they look to produce a good show in Solo. 'I'm one of the youngest in the Asian Juniors team but I want to prove myself by doing well,' said Aina, after a training session at the Academy Badminton Malaysia (ABM) in Bukit Kiara yesterday. 'I know that expectations are higher on Dania-Zi Yu as they are our top girls' doubles pair and the pressure is less on me and Nuraqilah. 'We will use this as an advantage. We want to show that we can step up too. We want to go as far as possible and try to win a medal.' Meanwhile, Nuraqilah, who has been chosen as the team captain along with Datu Anif Isaac, is ready to shoulder the responsibility to support her teammates and guide her younger partner in the tourney. 'I know I have more responsibilities as I'm older than Aina and need to guide her. I was also surprised to be chosen as team captain. I hope to justify the coaches' selection,' said Nuraqilah. 'The coaches decided to combine me and Aina to see if we could play well together. The Slovak Open was only our second tournament together, so we didn't expect to reach the final. 'Both of us are fast on court, so we could match each other's rhythm and gel well. 'We discuss a lot on where to improve on and our understanding is getting better.''
The Star
32 minutes ago
- The Star
Anif honoured to lead Malaysia at Asian Juniors
PETALING JAYA: Malaysian junior shuttler Datu Anif Isaac is excited to be named the captain of the Malaysian team for the Asian Junior Championships taking place in Solo, Indonesia, from July 23-27. The 18-year old described being given the skipper's role as an honour but he is also aware that it comes with heavier responsibilities and challenges. ''It was unexpected for me to be picked as the captain but since I have been given this responsibility, I'm ready to face the challenges. 'I'm ready to shoulder the responsibility and lead the team,'' said Anif. ''The challenge for the team is to perform to our best abilities in the competition as we have been preparing for a year in both the team and individual events.' Anif also said that he received a lot of advice from his seniors when he was selected for the role. ''I have learnt a lot from my seniors and they've told me to do my best in big tournaments. They also advised me to enjoy myself and have fun while playing.' Anif, who finished runner-up at the Petronas Malaysia Junior International Challenge in Perlis recently, stated that his target is to reach the final and try to win a gold medal. He will play in the boy's doubles with Damien Ling, and the mixed doubles with Dania Sofea Zaidi. In the mixed team competition, Malaysia are in Group B along with Indonesia, Singapore, Macau and Myanmar. The top two teams will advance to the quarter-finals. In last year's edition, Malaysia won silver in the boys' doubles through Aaron Tai-Kang Khai Xing while Siti Zulaikha Azmi (girls' singles), Ong Xin Yee-Carmen Ting (girls' doubles) and the mixed team contributed bronze medals.
Barnama
4 hours ago
- Barnama
AFF U-23: Early Nerves Cost Malaysia Against Philippines
By Mohd Iswandi Kasan Anuar JAKARTA, July 15 (Bernama) -- National U-23 head coach Nafuzi Zain admitted that defensive frailties were the main reason behind the 0-2 defeat to the Philippines in their Group A opener of the AFF U-23 Championship 2025 at the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium here tonight. Although disappointed with the result, Nafuzi praised his players' fighting spirit, noting that most of them were still young and lacked experience at the international level. bootstrap slideshow 'Overall, our defence showed some lapses and nervousness at the beginning of the match, which allowed the Philippines to score. 'We tried to fight back and went all out to secure a draw, but once we were trailing, it became more difficult,' he said after the match. According to Nafuzi, most of the players were aged between 19 and 21, and the match served as a valuable opportunity for them to gain experience and maturity. Regarding the injury status of key players Alif Izzuan and Muhammad Haqimi Azim Rosli, Nafuzi said they were still awaiting a detailed report from the medical team. He also expressed hope that Malaysian fans would be able to attend and support the team should they progress to the next round, especially if they faced hosts Indonesia. 'Fan support is important. Even though they're not here, I know the team still has support from Malaysia.
