Rozaimi wins dramatic gold
NATIONAL taekwondo exponent Rozaimi Razali left fans at the edge of their seats as he clinched the men’s kyorugi 68kg gold in dramatic fashion at the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games (KL2017) yesterday.
Rozaimi went toeto-toe with Filipino Alven Alcantara in the final which saw both tied 17-17 at the end of the third round at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre.
The referees, however, decided to award the win to Rozaimi as his opponent had already committed 10 fouls.
An elated Rozaimi said he was relieved to finally win his first Sea Games gold.
“It has been a tough journey to get here. I broke my nose at the World Championships in June and had to spend six months training in South Korea but it is all worth it now,” said said Rozaimi.
“I couldn’t compete at the 2015 Singapore Sea Games so it has been a four year wait for me. I am happy it (gold) has finally happened.”
Rozaimi last competed at the 2013 Myanmar Sea Games where he settled for bronze.
Philippines were clearly unhappy with the decision to award Rozaimi the gold, however, did not protest.
International technical officer R. Dhanaraj refuted any claims of bias in favour of Rozaimi.
“We told Philippines that they could file a protest, however, we have the list of 10 fouls their exponent had committed ready,” said Dhanaraj.
The national taekwondo squad have won two gold, two silver and two bronze after two days of competition at KL2017. Syafiq Aznan