Pei Ying aims to fight smart against bigger and stronger opponents
KUALA LUMPUR: For taekwondo exponent Lian Pei Ying, size doesn’t matter.
The pint-sized kyorugi (combat) fighter in the finweight below 46kg category is expected to face much bigger and stronger opponents at the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.
But the 19-year-old is unfazed as she has a plan to overcome them.
“There is no way I can match them in size. They tower over me and able to throw me off rhythm by their sheer size.
“So, I have to come up with a different style of fighting. The trick is to fight smart to outwit them. I am also counting on surprises to win my matches,” said the 1.52m tall Pei Ying after a training session at the NSC gymnasium yesterday.
Pei Ying has been targeted to reach the final.
To date, it has been a good year for the Form Six student of Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan (SMK) Petaling Jaya.
She won the National Championships in January and then emerged champion at the Asean Taekwondo Championships in March.
Pei Ying is confident of a good showing, especially after the two-month training stint in South Korea.
“The training was tough but we benefited greatly. Now, I feel more confident. It has also toughened me up mentally,” she said.
For Pei Ying, she is not overawed despite competing in her first SEA Games.
“It’s a good chance for me to improve and prove that I have the potential to be a champion at South-East Asian level. I’m not under any illusion of the task ahead of me. But I will give it my best shot just like everyone else in the team,” said Pei Ying.
Taekwondo offers 11 golds – five in poomsae (pattern) and six in kyorugi. The competition will start on Aug 26 at the KLCC Exhibition Hall,