Ali Reza knows what it takes to turn karatekas into warriors

PETALING JAYA: National karate coach Ali Reza Souleymani will now get down to serious business.

The Iranian, who was appointed as head coach last November, said he now has a better understanding of his charges after two tournaments.

The karatekas delivered three golds, two silvers and five bronze medals at the Asian Karate Federation (AKF) Under-21 Championships in Kota Kinabalu yesterday.

A fortnight ago, the squad returned from the South-East Asian Karate Championships (Seakaf) in Bangkok with nine golds, eight silvers and 16 bronze medals.

“At the Seakaf, I watched how the karatekas performed while at the AKF tournament, I got to evaluate them and their opponents. I now have a better idea on what needs to be done,” said Ali Reza who previously worked in Malaysia from 1998 to 2003.

“Malaysia have vast potential but you can also see other South-East Asian countries like Vietnam improving. If I can find the right talents here, we can get results.

“It has been awhile since I worked with Malaysians so I need more time ... at least a year before we can achieve great results.

“We need to keep progressing with the exponents that we now have.”

Malaysia picked up the golds through the men in Kota Kinabalu.

H. Sureeya Sankar won in the junior below 55kg kumite, Ooi San Hong prevailed in the kata while A. Somanroy came out tops in the kumite above 84kg.

Ali Reza revealed that Sureeya is among the promising talent in the national set-up.

“He’s good and definitely has a bright future. The exponents are also fast learners. They’ve been training under me for just four months and have already shown great potential,” added Ali Reza.