It wasn’t an easy ride for Malaysian taekwondo exponents competing in the 10th Asian ITF Taekwon-Do Championship, which concluded in Bengaluru, India, last month, as they faced stiff competition from top exponents across Asia.
Malaysian exponents faced some of the strongest competitors from Kazakhstan, India, South Korea, and Mongolia but finished fifth in the overall medal tally.
In a recent interview with Buletin Mutiara, coach Au Yeong Khai Soan praised the 12 participants for their tireless efforts in bringing home three silver and seven bronze medals during the eight-day championship from Aug 19 to 26.
“We sent a team of 12 participants, along with myself as the team coach, to the competition. This was our first time participating in an international event, and it was a remarkable success for our team, who had been training intensively for several months before the competition.
“They have come a long way, especially in enduring the demanding training routines. Their sacrifices, perseverance, and grit were the key to their success.
“They are aged between 13 and 37, and each of them succeeded in their respective categories,” he said.
Au Yeong, who has been coaching the team at a training centre in Bukit Mertajam, lauded their achievement and expressed hope for more accolades in the future.
“Eight of them competed in the Under-18 category, while four were above 18,” he said, adding that their mental strength was crucial to exceeding expectations.
Reflecting on their success, Au Yeong noted that the team had also participated in several local competitions last year, including the Vision Cup in Kuala Lumpur and the Hwarang Competition in Selangor.
“Before the competition, we analysed our competitors’ movements by studying their match videos. This helped our exponents significantly, particularly in identifying the weaknesses of their opponents,” he added.
Au Yeong also expressed his gratitude to the state, especially to the state Youth, Sports, and Health Committee chairman, Daniel Gooi, for his unwavering support.
Looking ahead, Au Yeong hopes that his team members will be selected for the ASEAN Invitational ITF Singapore Taekwondo Championship 2024, which will take place on Nov 23 this year.
Meanwhile, Penang performed remarkably well by emerging as overall champions at the ITF Malaysia National Taekwon-Do Championships held from Sept 13 to 15 in Batu Pahat, Johor.
According to team coach Roger Low, Penang brought home 23 gold, 12 silver, and 18 bronze medals, totalling 53 medals.
“Our men and boys also won the best individual performance awards, and our women’s and men’s sparring teams successfully defended their gold medals from previous championships.
“Next year, we have the Southeast Asian Championships in Cambodia and the World Championships in Italy. We hope to send a strong team to represent Malaysia,” he said.
Low encouraged more youths to take up martial arts for a healthy lifestyle, emphasising the significant value of taekwondo.
Also present was female team head coach Ann Lee.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Siew Chia En