Kota Kinabalu: Three Sabah karatekas made it to the national junior squad during the one-day national selection trials held at the National Sports Council gym three in Bukit Jalil, last week.
Ivan Charles, Leong Jia Chii and Lovely Anne Robberth who impressed the national selectors will be in the national team for the 18th Asian Karate Federation (AKF) Cadet, Junior and Under-21 Karate Championship to be held here next month.
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Sabah Karate Association (SKA) secretary general Julian Chin was happy to see the three athletes being selected into the national team and reckoned it will be good for karate development in Sabah.
The three were among seven karatekas from Sabah who attended the trial and Julian said there may be more State athletes representing Malaysia at the AKF tournament.
“Apart from the three, we also have Pressy Misty Philip and the Bukit Jalil-based Richal Mattan, Arthuric Gideon Jiwin and Amirah Syahirah Azlan, all of them stand a good chance to don national colours.
“Richal, Arturic and Amirah are currently training full-time in Bukit Jalil under the National Back-up Athletes Programme while Pressy, was in the national squad for the same championship held in Okinawa, Japan last year, which she returned with a silver in the Female Under-21 Kumite -68kg category,” he said.
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According to Julian, the four should be able to know their fate after the 39th Makaf National Senior Karate Open Championship to be held at Stadium MPSJ, Serdang Jaya, Selangor this weekend.
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