Asian Games: Shahmalarani secures Malaysia’s third gold with karate victory

NAGOYA, Sept 23 — Malaysian karate champion C. Shahmalarani claimed her third gold medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after emerging victorious in the women's below 50-kilogramme kumite event. The 0-0 draw in the final bout against Hong Kong's Tsang Yee Ting resulted in a judges' decision in favor of Shahmalarani, who had previously defeated Uzbekistan's Gulshan Alimardanova with a score of 3-2 in the semi-finals.

This win marked sweet revenge for Shahmalarani, who had lost to Alimardanova in the final of the World Karate Championships held in Cairo, Egypt, the previous year. The national athlete expressed her happiness at finally achieving the gold medal, stating that the journey to this moment had been challenging, citing injuries and previous disappointing results in competitions.

Shahmalarani admitted to experiencing self-doubt amidst the high expectations placed on her as the host nation. She had started her Asiad campaign with an 8-0 victory over Fong Man Wai of Macau in the first round, followed by a 5-4 win over Bangladesh's Saiama Jaman in the last eight.