Ainun overcomes shoulder injury to retain Sukma silat crown
KAJANG: Competing with a shoulder injury did not stop national silat exponent Nor Ainun Mokhtar from proving her pedigree as a national exponent as she delivered Terengganu's first silat gold at the Selangor Malaysia Games (Sukma) on Wednesday.
KAJANG: National silat star Nor Ainun Mokhtar, despite carrying a shoulder injury, secured Terengganu's maiden silat gold at the Selangor Malaysia Games (Sukma) on Wednesday. 21-year-old Ainun concluded her Silat career at the Games, triumphing in the women's Class E (65-70kg) final, defeating Kelantan's Nik Nurul Kamilia Atika Nik Iruan by a significant margin of 33-3. The match was halted in the second round due to a 30-point advantage, triggering the automatic stoppage as per the scoring system.
This victory marked a fitting finale for the national exponent, who had also claimed gold in the same category during the 2024 Sarawak Sukma. However, the triumph came at a cost, as Ainun had to overcome shoulder pain after sustaining injuries to both her left and right shoulders during the preliminary rounds of the Games. Undeterred, the determined athlete refused to let her injuries become an excuse, pushing through the pain to defend her title and finish her final Sukma appearance on a high note.
Ainun, who has been a national athlete since 2023, acknowledged the challenges posed by her injuries and expressed her determination to use this victory as motivation for the upcoming World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, scheduled for December. She set her sights on winning gold at the World Championships, vowing to prepare as diligently as possible.
Additionally, the triumph served as a means for Ainun to address her disappointment from the 2019 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, where she was eliminated in the semi-finals four years ago.
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