KARATE exponent Ku Jin Keat reacted with disbelief as coach Ryoke Abe jumped off the bench in delight after three blue flags were raised to signal a historic victory for him in the men’s kata final against Japan’s Itaru Oki.
At the age of 35, and having come through two painful knee surgeries, Jin Keat never thought he would get to savour the moment of being crowned as the Asian Games champion.
Jin Keat’s 3-2 win over world championship bronze medallist Itaru was certainly unexpected by the Malaysian contingent as Japan had never lost in the kata discipline since karate made its Asiad debut in 1994 in Hiroshima.
And Jin Keat can now bid farewell to competitive karate on a high, having added the gold medal to his Asiad collection of one silver and one bronze.
He won a bronze in his debut in Busan in 2002 and a silver in Doha four years later.
“It’s a really meaningful win for me. I have been trying to win the Asiad gold since my first outing in 2002 and I never gave up,” said Jin Keat.
“Karate is Japan’s national treasure and I knew I had to raise my game to have any chance of getting gold.
“Each time I compete, I feel stressed and under pressure because Japanese exponents have a good foundation.
“I have to thank my coach for teaching me everything and I was able to perform all the steps well today.”
The Penangite fought hard to hold back his tears as the national anthem was played at the medal presentation ceremony.
“Three Asian Games ... I think I’ve had enough. I am 35 and it will not be possible for me to compete in another Asian Games when I am 39. It was a struggle to recover my form after I went for my second surgery,” said Jin Keat, who missed the Laos SEA Games last December after undergoing knee operation.
Jin Keat started strongly with 5-0 wins over Hong Kong’s Chris Cheng and Kyrgyzstan’s Dmitri Kazanov to reach the semi-finals.
He made the final by beating SEA Games champion Faizal Zainuddin of Indonesia 4-1 while Itaru advanced with victory over Kuwait’s Yousef Alharbi.
In the women’s competition, Jin Keat’s girlfriend Lim Lee Lee came up against Japan’s Usami Rika in the quarter-finals and was beaten 0-5.
Lee Lee came through the repechage rounds and overcame Dewi Yulianti of Indonesia 5-0 for the bronze medal.
Lee Lee began her campaign with a 5-0 win over Thailand’s T. Yanisa in the first round.
Star
At the age of 35, and having come through two painful knee surgeries, Jin Keat never thought he would get to savour the moment of being crowned as the Asian Games champion.
Jin Keat’s 3-2 win over world championship bronze medallist Itaru was certainly unexpected by the Malaysian contingent as Japan had never lost in the kata discipline since karate made its Asiad debut in 1994 in Hiroshima.
And Jin Keat can now bid farewell to competitive karate on a high, having added the gold medal to his Asiad collection of one silver and one bronze.
He won a bronze in his debut in Busan in 2002 and a silver in Doha four years later.
“It’s a really meaningful win for me. I have been trying to win the Asiad gold since my first outing in 2002 and I never gave up,” said Jin Keat.
“Karate is Japan’s national treasure and I knew I had to raise my game to have any chance of getting gold.
“Each time I compete, I feel stressed and under pressure because Japanese exponents have a good foundation.
“I have to thank my coach for teaching me everything and I was able to perform all the steps well today.”
The Penangite fought hard to hold back his tears as the national anthem was played at the medal presentation ceremony.
“Three Asian Games ... I think I’ve had enough. I am 35 and it will not be possible for me to compete in another Asian Games when I am 39. It was a struggle to recover my form after I went for my second surgery,” said Jin Keat, who missed the Laos SEA Games last December after undergoing knee operation.
Jin Keat started strongly with 5-0 wins over Hong Kong’s Chris Cheng and Kyrgyzstan’s Dmitri Kazanov to reach the semi-finals.
He made the final by beating SEA Games champion Faizal Zainuddin of Indonesia 4-1 while Itaru advanced with victory over Kuwait’s Yousef Alharbi.
In the women’s competition, Jin Keat’s girlfriend Lim Lee Lee came up against Japan’s Usami Rika in the quarter-finals and was beaten 0-5.
Lee Lee came through the repechage rounds and overcame Dewi Yulianti of Indonesia 5-0 for the bronze medal.
Lee Lee began her campaign with a 5-0 win over Thailand’s T. Yanisa in the first round.
Star
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