Johor woman, 84, who practised taekwondo for 16 years gets honorary black belt despite being wheelchair-bound now

In Pontian, Johor, an 84-year-old woman named Lim Sek Eng was honored with an honorary black belt in taekwondo on June 6, 2026. She had been practicing the martial art for 16 years, achieving her lifelong goal of reaching a black belt rank. As reported by Sin Chew, Lim was awarded the rank of 1st dan, the highest and most central authority for Taekwondo worldwide.

Born in the small town of Pekan Nanas, known for its pineapple production, Lim embarked on her taekwondo journey at the age of 58, with her youngest son by her side. Her son, a traditional Chinese medicine practitioner, had already obtained a black belt at the young age of 16 and began teaching the art. Initially, Lim assisted at the dojo, but eventually, she immersed herself in the training alongside her peers.

Despite suffering from leg ailments and pain throughout her life, Lim continued her practice. In her younger days, she worked in a pineapple factory, earning a meager wage of RM0.25 (S$0.078) per hour. She later opened a fruit stall with her husband, selling cut fruit, agar jelly, and herbal jelly to support her family. Due to her deteriorating health, Lim had to give up taekwondo at the age of 74. In 2019, she suffered a second femur fracture, leaving her confined to a wheelchair, only able to walk short distances.

Despite not participating in Taekwondo promotion exams, Lim's story reached the higher-ups at the Kukkiwon, who decided to award her with the honorary black belt certificate. Her youngest son noted that while she never took the exam, she had demonstrated competency in various aspects of Taekwondo, such as kicking and stances, placing her skill level around the black belt 3rd dan rank.

Now living with her son, Lim cares for her three grandchildren and assists with medicine distribution and patient care at her son's TCM clinic.