AICHI, Sept 20 — Karate exponent Thevendran Kaliana Sundram delivered Malaysia’s first medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after clinching bronze in the men’s below 55-kilogramme (kg) kumite event today.
In the bronze-medal bout at the Toyohashi Gymnasium, Thevendran secured a dominant 9-1 victory over Nepal’s Rakesh Manandhar.
Thevendran scored six Yuko and one Ippon to secure the victory, while Rakesh managed only one Yuko.
Yuko is a scoring term for a one-point award for a successful, controlled punch or strike, while Ippon is awarded for a technically flawless and powerful execution of a strike or kick and is worth three points.
“I am very happy to win my first medal for Malaysia, especially since Sureeya won as well. After I won, I wanted to pass on positive energy to him, and seeing his success makes me even happier.
“Initially, my target was gold, but I was unlucky to lose to an Uzbek athlete before bouncing back in the bronze medal playoff,” said Thevendran when met after the bout.
Thevendran’s win spurred the national karate camp to secure Malaysia’s second medal, also a bronze, through H. Sureeya Sankar in the under-60kg kumite event.
In that bronze medal bout, Sureeya defeated Chu Van Duc of Vietnam 10-2.
Sureeya also expressed gratitude for not returning empty-handed from the Games.
“I am happy, though still disappointed at missing out on the final. I hope this achievement brings something meaningful for Malaysia,” he said. — Bernama
