Thevendran delighted to see Sureeya end Asian Games agony

K. Thevendran expressed happiness at winning Malaysia's first medal in the Asian Games, but was even more delighted to learn that H. Sureeya Sankar had also captured a bronze medal in the same event. Thevendran's initial reaction to his bronze medal victory was to offer his positive energy to Sureeya. Though Thevendran was defeated by Uzbekistan's Khumoyunmirzo Khalimov in the men's below 55kg category, he rebounded in the repechage, defeating Nepal's Rakesh Manandhar 9-1 to claim the bronze.

Thevendran's success and Sureeya's achievement were mutually uplifting. Thevendran admitted that his primary goal was a gold medal, but he was unfortunate to lose to Khalimov before winning the bronze. Meanwhile, Sureeya displayed a tougher path to the bronze, outscoring Bangladesh's Siam Hosen 5-0 and narrowly defeating Rayan Gurbanmyradov 3-2 in the quarter-finals. However, he ultimately fell short against Qatar's Abdelrahman Abdelhamid, who won the silver medal by outscoring Thevendran 7-1.

Sureeya himself shared that his debut at the 2022 Hangzhou Games, when he fractured his hand in the bronze-medal playoff against Thailand's Siwakon Muekthong, served as a valuable lesson for him. He emphasized that his ability to control emotions and focus was a key factor in securing the bronze medal. Ultimately, Sureeya expressed happiness with his accomplishment, despite missing the final, and hoped that this achievement would bring something meaningful to Malaysia.