SHAH ALAM: Penang celebrated their first gold medal in the 20th Sukma through karateka Yong Kojiro who won the final of the men’s individual kata this afternoon.
The 21-year-old displayed an energetic performance to collect 25.14 points to defeat his challenger Abdul Rahim Shah Zulfaqqar (24.96 points) of Pahang in karate action at Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam sports complex.
The bronze medallist in the same event at the 2022 Asean University Games (AUG) said he expected to grab the gold based on his experience.
“Everything went smoothly as I imagined against my very competitive opponent. I was confident of getting the gold medal because of my sacrifices and hard work,“ he said after the bout here yesterday.
Kajiro said that the success was the best closing for him in Sukma as this edition will be his last appearance.
Meanwhile, Johor’s Wong Lih Kwang and Perak’s Hor Jie Shen had to settle for bronze after defeating their respective rivals.
The men’s team kata was topped by Sabah who downed Pahang in the final.
The trio that won the gold medal comprised Clevelence Carlos, Mohd Azhad Haziq Henry and Mohd Haznil Henry after obtaining 24.82 points while the Pahang trio of Abdul Rahim, Muhammad Afiq Aiman Mohd Asrul and Nasran Nazhan Shapudeain managed only 23.94 points.
The team bronze went to the Penang contingent of Ak Ahmad Munib Aiman, Awang Muhammad Nazirul Johari and Khairul Syafiq Khairul Ariffin and Brunei who were represented by Abdul Rahim Shah Zulfaqqar, Muhammad Syafiq Aiman Mohd Arsul and Nasran Nazhan Shaipudeain. - Bernama
