Golden high for karate kids
By LIM TEIK HUAT
23/07/2011
SHANGHAI: Former top exponent R. Puvaneswaran capped a golden high in his first coaching assignment with the Malaysian juniors at the Asian Karate Championships at the Haixia Sports Centre yesterday.
Malaysia bagged two gold medals in the kumite finals of the respective cadet and junior kumite categories.
Tarshyent Paramasivam made a golden debut in the Asian meet with a gold in the boys’ cadet below 52kg kumite (14-15).
Tarshyent defeated Kazakhstan’s Yuldashev Daniyar 3-1 in the final.
Another gold medal came from R. Wugindran in the boys’ junior below 61kg (16-17) kumite category.
Wugidran, who won a bronze in his first participation in the Asian meet last year, fought his way to the gold this time with a 2-0 win over Iranian Akbary Hamed in the final.
The Asian junior meet was previously held separately but is now held together the senior championships from this year.
Malaysia also bagged two silver and four bronze medals to emerge second overall behind Japan and Iran in the Asian championships, which attracted participation from 33 countries.
The silver medals came from Prem Kumar in the boys’ junior below 55kg kumite and the junior girls’ kata team.
The bronze medals were won by P. Vashalini (girls’ cadet below 47kg kumite), Agustin Vallenda (girls’ cadet kata), Kumar Ravin Vijaya (boys’ cadet below 63kg kumite) and Goh Chan Yit (boys’ junior kata).
Puvaneswaran, who retired after bagging his second Asian Games gold medal in Guangzhou last year, is certainly delighted with the performance as he started taking charge of the kumite team last month together with another former SEA Games gold medallist S. Mahendran.
“I officially took over this month but I have helped Mahendran with the coaching and sparring of the juniors. It’s a good achievement as we have never won a gold in the cadet kumite before.
“It is a good boost to our preparations towards the World Junior Championships which will be held in Malacca in October.
“It’s the first time we are hosting the world junior meet and we want to do well as the hosts.
“All the medal winners are relative newcomers and it augurs well for us,” said Puvaneswaran.
Malaysian Karate Federation (Makaf) have also engaged a Spanish coach Antonio Oliva Seba to help prepare the trainees for the world junior meet.
“He came in as the chief consultant and was with the team one week before we came here,” said Puvaneswaran, who is staying back as some of his charges have to fight in the senior category which starts today.
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