Sarawak judokas in good spirits at the end of the tournament.
SIBU (Feb 24): Sarawak judokas returned from another flourishing performance at the Terengganu Judo Open Championships with three gold, three silver and four bronze medals. Leng Ko Jia, 16, led the pack as expected when she nailed the gold in the women’s 70kg cadet category.
Rising star Ashley Tan, 14, took gold in the women’s 57kg Youth. The third gold was a surprise as debutant Sai Wan Yi unexpectedly wrested the women’s 48kg Senior title.
The silver medallists were Ethan Lee, Leng Ko Bing and Elisha Noel while winning the bronze medal were Lee Yi Han, Voon Xue Zhi, Voon Xue Jia and Shaan Decqlan Royston Dunstan.
However, Sarawak Judo Association (PJS) secretary Ngiam Sze Yuan revealed that all eyes were on Xue Zhi to deliver the fourth gold but, unfortunately, she injured her shoulder in the earlier round.
“Despite the injuries, Xue Zhi managed to fight against all odds to bring back the bronze medal and that shows her fighting spirit and determination,” he said.
The 23-year-old UCSI University student who doubled as a part-time coach in a judo club in Kuching is a familiar figure in the judo fraternity.
She is currently preparing to compete in the Southeast Asia Judo Championships to be held in Thailand in April.
“Xue Zhi is training very hard under the state coach Igarashi Jumpei to polish her skills, technique and how to fight to be a winner,” Ngiam said.
The upcoming international event is certainly not an easy outing and Xue Zhi needs to work hard in order to be at her best, he added.