Karatekas told to fight for overall champions title
KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Karate Association (SKA) deputy president Datuk Herman Tiongsoh hoped for the best from the state karatekas when they compete in the 29th Makaf National Cadet, Junior and Under-21 Karate Championship.
The three-day tournament, starting September 13, will take place at the MPSJ Stadium in Serdang Jaya, Selangor.
And Herman said only by giving their best in the championship would give them the fighting chance to achieve the desired target of becoming overall champions.
“I want to advise that don’t take the competition lightly but give everything you’ve got to achieve the best result not only for the team but also SKA and the State.
“It is also very important to show good sportsmanship as well as discipline throughout the tournament,” Herman said this during the handing-over of the State Flag to the state squad at the Main Dojo in Likas, yesterday.
For the record, Sabah are eyeing the overall title having last lifted it in 2017 while narrowly losing the title after finishing as runners-up last year.
Sabah bagged seven golds, five silvers and 11 bronzes to finish behind Malaysia Hayashi Ha Karate Federation who won eight golds, five silvers and six bronzes in 2018.
For this weekend’s tournament, Sabah will be sending 40 karatekas comprising 25 male and 15 female exponents to the championship, which is one of the most important competitions in Malaysia Karate Federation (Makaf) event calendar.
Richard Ajak will be the team manager while the coaches are Farlin Frederick, Elreno Zeru, Mohd Azreen, Danny Fredoline and Andy Angkangon.
The state squad will leave for Selangor today.