SYAKILLA RISKS MISSING OLYMPICS

Former Asian Games champion alleged to be struggling with weight and discipline issues

NATIONAL karate exponent Syakilla Salni Jefry Krisnan has put her hopes of qualifying for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in jeopardy after refusing to “cooperate” with the Malaysia Karate Federation (MAKAF).

There’s also a growing worry that the 26-year-old 2014 Incheon Asian Games gold medallist is turning into a prima donna, especially following her failure to compete in the K1 Premier League tournament in Dubai last month, as well as the K1 Series A in Salzburg, Austria, earlier this month.

It is understood that the athlete’s struggle with weight and discipline could see her miss out on the K1 Premier League in Rabat, Morocco on April 19-21.

A source, who did not want to be named, said the problems started when Syakilla refused to train under national coach Ali Reza Souleymani, who returned for a second stint here last November.

She then requested to undergo training and sparring in Amsterdam, but her trip was cut short as MAKAF saw no improvement. In fact, Syakilla skipped the K1 in Dubai and the K1 Series A, citing injuries.

“She just doesn’t seem hungry for success anymore,” said the source.

“She wasn’t training in Amsterdam but instead put on more weight because she did not control her food intake.

“You go to Europe when it’s cold, you’re naturally going to eat more. This has got nothing to do with injuries.”

According to the source, Syakilla is only good for a medal at Southeast Asian level, but on the world stage, she stands no chance.

“To be fair, it’s a waste of money because so many other exponents can benefit from the funds spent on Syakilla. Her condition is horrible.

“Who is monitoring her progress? She now weighs more than 61kg.

“And because of her weight, she will not be able to compete in the 55kg class and she doesn’t have ranking points to compete in the 61kg category.

“Apart from weight, Syakilla has also got a lot of personal issues. She cannot qualify for the Olympics with an attitude like this.”

However, despite all the controversy, Sports Minister Syed Saddiq Syed Abdul Rahman has given in to the request of the troubled exponent to train in Latvia.

Syakilla, who was a disappointment at last year’s Indonesia Asian Games, will train under Andris Vasiljevs.

MAKAF secretary-general Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad said the national body will respect the minister’s decision but hopes for Syakilla to change her ways.

“MAKAF will still assist Syakilla in terms of her participation in tournaments, but she is now monitored by the National Sports Council (NSC) as well as the National Sports Institute (NSI).

“MAKAF also respect the decision of the minister, but Syakilla will have to change if she wants to be a world class exponent,” said Nur Azmi.

NST Sport contacted Syakilla yesterday on the issue but she did not respond to our reporter’s questions.