Syakilla to discuss with NSC on training with former coach Prem

PETALING JAYA: Karate exponent Syakilla Salni Jefry Krisnan may train under her former Selangor coach S. Prem Kumar to prepare for the SEA Games and Olympic qualification campaigns.

The National Sports Council (NSC) have rejected her request to go to Latvia to train with former national coach Andris Vasiljevs and insisted that she trained in Malaysia.

Syakilla has not been training with the national kumite team in Bukit Jalil under Iranian national coach Ali Reza Souleymani since beginning of the year.

She has been struggling to maintain her weight to below 55kg and missed a few tournaments in the world circuit that offer Olympic qualifying points.

Syakilla, who now weighs more than 60kg, is agreeable to train under her former coach if that’s the option available to her.

“I want to train under a coach who I’m familiar with,” said the 26-year-old, who has only competed in the National Karate Championships in Serdang in the women’s kumite below 61kg category this year.

“Different coaches have different training styles. I have trained for a long time under Andris and I’m comfortable with him.

“I have only trained under Ali Reza for a while, so it’s not the same.

“If I can’t get to train under Andris, I will probably go back to my coach in Selangor. I will discuss with the NSC later,” she said.

NSC director general Datuk Ahmad Shapawi Ismail said they will continue to support Syakilla but she must bring down her weight to below 55kg before the Karate Premier League Series in Tokyo from Sept 6-8.

Said Shapawi: “She will also go for the Asian Karate Championships in Uzbekistan in July 19-21 but I don’t know whether she can reduce her weight to below 55kg by that time.

“We agreed that she has to compete in the below 55kg category after September and until the Olympic qualification tournament in Paris in May next year.

“That also includes the SEA Games in the Philippines (Nov 30-Dec 11).”

It’s hard for world No. 83 Syakilla to secure automatic Olympic qualification by April next year.

The top two in the women’s 50kg and 55kg (which are combined into one category in the Olympics) world rankings qualify for Tokyo 2020.

But she has a shot at making it to the Olympics through the Paris qualification tournament, which awards tickets for the top three finishers, provided she makes it to the top 50 in the rankings by then.