Karate exponent Zakiah surprised but excited to be picked for Asian

MELAKA - National karate athlete Zakiah Adnan admitted to being surprised when she was selected to represent the country to compete in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China which will take place from September 23 to October 8 due to her status as a junior.

Zakiah, 20, however, is very excited and is determined to give the best performance to compete with other athletes who are more senior in return for the trust given to her.

"Before this I thought I was 'nothing' but with this selection and the success of winning a bronze medal at the 2023 Asian Karate Championships (AKC), it boosted my spirits," she told reporters after the AKC ended here yesterday.

Yesterday Malaysian Karate Federation (MAKAF) president Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad announced Zakiah's selection after the exponent made a breakthrough by winning the bronze medal in the Women's Kumite event for the 61 kilogrammes category at the tournament.

Nur Azmi fulfilled his previous promise to give a slot at the Asian Games if his charges managed to contribute medals at the AKC, and will also bring selected athletes to compete in tournaments in Tunisia, Morocco and another European country as preparation.

For Zakiah, the remaining two months before the Asian Games will be best used to strengthen techniques and improve on existing weaknesses.

Apart from Zakiah, six other karate athletes have been selected to represent the country at the Asian Games namely Mohammad Arif Afifuddin, H. Sankar Sureeya, S. Prem Kumar and R. Shamendran for men, while in the women's category are C. Shahmalarani and P. Madhuri, who will each compete in the Kumite individual event. - BERNAMA

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