Thevendran delivers Malaysia’s first medal in Asian Games
The national karate exponent defeated his opponent from Nepal 9-1 to clinch the bronze medal in the men’s below 55kg kumite event.
Malaysia secured its first medal of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with a bronze in men’s below 55kg kumite event. K Thevendran emerged victorious over Nepal’s Rakesh Manandhar with a score of 9-1, thanks to six Yuko and one Ippon. Yuko awards one point for a successful, controlled punch or strike, while Ippon, worth three points, signifies a technically flawless and powerful execution of a strike or kick.
Thevendran’s teammate Faizal Saari helped the national men’s hockey team start their tournament with a 7-0 win against Uzbekistan. Faizal scored a hat-trick, including a field goal, a penalty corner goal, and a penalty stroke goal. Malaysia’s other goals in the match came from Norsyafiq Sumantri, Azimuddin Syakir Kamaruddin, Azrai Aizad Abu Kamal, and Faiz Helmi Jali.
The Speedy Tigers will face Oman in their next Group B match on Tuesday as they aim for the semi-finals. The 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, which opened on October 1, will conclude on October 4.
Written by urgent.news from Free Malaysia Today's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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