Ain stuns world champ and dedicates gold to father who died recently
MUAY exponent Ain Kamaruddin’s father passed away five days ago in Kota Baru.
That was just two days before the start of the Muay competition in the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games.
Yet, that did not stop the 25yearold Kelantanese from pulling off the biggest upset in the competition.
Ain defied the odds to beat world champion Thachtana Luangphon of Thailand 2928 in the 5457kg final at the Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MiTEC) in Kuala Lumpur yesterday.
The softspoken Ain said he owed his success to his late father Kamaruddin Hamzah, who introduced him to the sport.
“My father was a Muay promoter and I used to follow him for competitions. My interest grew from here.
“After 10 years, I finally have this precious gold medal around my neck. Unfortunately, my father is not here to see it. I dedicate this gold to him,” said Ain.
But victory did not come easy. Ain won the first round but Thachtana, who clinched the world title in Belarus in May, used his vast experience to tie the score in the second round.
Ain, backed by the home crowd, finished strongly for the gold.
“The monthlong joint training camp in Bangkok with the Thai Muay squad gave me a lot of insight into our opponents. “We sparred with them and this helped me to get the better of Thachtana today,” said Ain.
Malaysia’s Mohd Ali Yaakub earlier won the gold in the men’s 5154kg category after defeating Thai Surachai Nakthaem 3027.
In the 63.567kg final, Tengku Sharizal Tengku Abdul Rahman settled for the silver after losing 2730 to Thailand’s Mana Samchaiyaphum.
Malaysia earned another medal – a bronze – through Muhamad Samsi Mohd Noor in the men’s 6771kg.
Coach Bernard Radin described the 211 overall medal tally as a good sign for the sport.
“It’s better than what we expected. But Ain’s heroics was fantastic. He beat the world champion despite losing his father recently. We were worried at first, but he nailed it,” said Bernard.
Ain was still in training in Bangkok when his father passed away.
He only attended the funeral the next day before flying in for the Muay competition.
Muay was not held at Singapore 2015. Malaysia managed a 203 haul in Myanmar in 2013.