Karate exponent Muhammad Arif delivers gold number six for Malaysia

HANGZHOU - National karate exponent Muhammad Arif Afifuddin Ab Malik chopped down gold number six for the country in the Hangzhou Asian Games when he emerged as champion in the men's Kumite (combat) below 84-kilogramme (kg) event today.

The 23-year-old produced a slick and brave performance to defeat 2021 World Championships bronze medallist Daniyar Yuldashev of Kazakhstan 10-4 in the final at the Linping Sports Centre Gymnasium here.

In the final, the 1.83-metre (m) tall Muhammad Arif Afifuddin never flinched against the 1.89m tall Daniyar as he gave everything he had to create a sensation.

Although he suffered an injury with 15 seconds to go, the Malaysian gallantly hung on to his lead - and sealed the gold medal.

Vietnam's Do Thanh Nhan and Jordan's Mohammad Al-Jafari took bronze.

Muhammad Arif, the 2019 Sea Games silver medallist, had marched into the after defeating Cambodia Sea Games winner Sandi Firmansyah of Indonesia 4-3 in the quarter-finals and South Korea's Baek Junhyeok 5-2 in the semi-finals.

Meanwhile, switching to the below 67kg category proved catastrophic for S. Prem Kumar, Malaysia's sole karate medallist at the 2018 edition in Jakarta-Palembang, Indonesia.

Prem Kumar, who clinched bronze in the men's Kumite below 60kg category in Indonesia, crashed out in the quarter-finals this time after being trounced 8-0 by Kazakhstan's Amirali Didar, the silver medallist from the 2018 edition.

In the women's below 55kg category, P. Madhuri was no match for Jordan's Leen Mansour, going down 2-11 in the round of 16.

Muhammad Arif's gold medal is the third medal from the national karate camp, with Lovelly Anne Robberth bagging a silver in the women's individual Kata event before combining with Naccy Nelly Evvaferra Rojin and Niathalia Sherawinnie Yampil to deliver another silver in the women's Kata team event.

Malaysia last won the Asiad karate gold medal in the 2014 edition in Incheon, South Korea through Lim Chee Wei (men's Kata) and Syakilla Salni Jefry Krisnan (women's Kumite 61kg).

Malaysia's five other gold medals in the Hangzhou Asiad were delivered by Nur Shazrin Mohamad Latif (women's ILCA 6 sailing); Mohd Qabil Ambak Mahamad Fathil (men's individual equestrian); women's squash team (Aira Azman, Rachel Arnold, Aifa Azman, S. Sivasangari); Sivasangari (women's singles squash); and Ng Eain Yow (men's singles squash). - BERNAMA