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Kota Kinabalu: Sabah’s karatekas are now all psyched up and geared up for gold at the upcoming 21st Malaysia Games (Sukma) 2024, which will be held in Kuching, Sarawak from August 17-24, 

In his speech during the Sabah State Flag Handover Ceremony for Sukma XX1, Sarawak 2024 at the Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC), Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Noor encouraged all athletes to try their best and do justice for their year-long preparation before the games. 

He urged all athletes to focus on training while keeping their food and supplement intakes healthy for the best performance. 

This year, Sabah aims to win 40 gold medals in total. 

In a nod to the speech made by the Chief Minister, the Sabah Karate Association (SKA) President who is also the Vice President of the Malaysia Karate Federation (Makaf), Datuk Jake Jikulin Nointin said that his target for the Sabah karate athletes is to win five gold medals.

“The Sabah Sports Council has set a target of three golds for Sabah karate, and we believe we can deliver it. We have purposely set a higher target of five gold medals to encourage our athletes to work harder,” said Jake.

“We are confident that Sabah will achieve its target of 40 golds in this year’s Sukma, and Sabah karate wants to be one of the main gold medal contributors,” Jake added.

Jake said that as the President of the Sabah Karate Association, he will ensure that all Sabah karate athletes representing Sabah in this year’s Sukma are provided with all the necessary assistance to enable them to train well and be better prepared for the games.

This year, Sabah is sending 19 karate athletes to participate in both kata and kumite events. Jake and his sports management team will accompany the karate athletes for the Sukma Games later this month.