Two more for the kicks
Karate exponents add double golds in style
WHEN the country needs them most, the karate team will deliver.
Newcomers C. Shahmalarani and H. Sureeya Sankar made explosive debuts on the SEA Games stage to emerge as proud winners on the opening day of the competition at the Ninh Binh Sports Gymnasium yesterday.
Mathematics tutor Shahmalarani showed she had killer kicks to go with her calculus knowledge by storming to gold in the women’s kumite below 50kg event.
The 24-year-old was awarded the gold medal after her opponent Chippensuk Chanyanuk of Thailand dislocated her elbow in the final and could not continue.
Shahmalarani was already leading when the Thai fell awkwardly during a tussle.
Shahmalarani advanced to the final after beating Ririhena Sharon Verlina of Indonesia 9-1 in the second round and Laos exponent Laoyang Kengthong 8-0 in the third round.
She was thrilled that her fiveyear wait to compete on the SEA Games stage had ended so well.
“Winning a SEA Games gold medal for Malaysia has always been my dream. I waited so long for this opportunity because I gave up the chance to compete in the 2017 Kuala Lumpur Games because I had to finish my university studies,” said Shahmalarani.
“So to all Malaysians, don’t give up on your dreams. This is for you,” added Shahmalarani, who graduated with a degree in Actuarial Science at Taylor’s College and is now doing her Masters studies.
It was an equally inspiring day for Sureeya who displayed sheer confidence in his first Games to overcame Indonesia’s Hutapea Tebing 5-3 in the men’s kumite below 67kg final.
Sureeya started his campaign with a 3-1 win over Vietnam’s Dang Hong Son and beat Manantan John Matthew Coronel of the Philippines 8-0 to reach the final.
Defending champion Prem Kumar, however, suffered an early exit in the men’s 60kg category but was given a second chance to get a medal after his opponent Adi Saputra of Indonesia went into the final.
Adi went on to take the gold while Prem took bronze by beating Cambodia’s Ly Kouyhav 6-3.
M. Mathivani, the silver medallist in 2019, missed out on a medal in the women’s 61kg category after losing 0-1 to Jamie Christine Lim Berberabe of Philippines.
Malaysia also got a bronze in the men’s individual kata through Mohd Aiqal Asmadia.