SEASONED campaigner R. Puvaneswaran can retire on a high note after joining Ku Jin Keat to cap a glorious double strike for Malaysia on the first day of the karate competition at the Guangdong Gymnasium yesterday.
The 35-year-old had two of his strongest rivals – defending champion Hsieh Cheng-kang of Taiwan and reigning Asian champion Ghasemi Laskoukalayeh of Iran – in the same pool.
But Puvaneswaran, the oldest exponent in the men’s below 55kg kumite competition, relied on his experience to get into the final.
And he went on to claim his second Asian Games gold medal by beating Mohd Almaki Emad of Saudi Arabia.
A gallant Puvaneswaran began well by beating Vietnamese Nguyen Hoang Hiep 1-0. Then, in the quarter-final, he avenged his defeat by Cheng-kang in the final at the Doha Games with a sudden death victory.
Puvaneswaran then cleared the semi-final hurdle against Ghasemi with a 1-0 margin.
In the final, Puvaneswaran and Mohd Almaki were hesitant to the make early moves and they remained deadlocked even after an extra minute of tie-breaker.
It was then left to the referee to decide on the outcome after the four judges were split in their judgement.
Puvaneswaran was then announced as the winner and he sank to his knees in gratitude after reclaiming the title he won in Busan in 2002.
Puvaneswaran is now the most successful Malaysian karate exponent with two gold medals, one silver and one bronze from four Asian Games.
He made his debut in Hiroshima in 1994 and the only time he missed out on a medal was at the 1998 Bangkok Games when he was disqualified for striking at his opponent’s neck.
Puvaneswaran was happy with his performance in his last international outing for Malaysia.
“I wanted to go out as a history-maker. I stayed positive despite the tough draw,” he said.
“I told myself that my opponents had more reasons to fear me, with my over 20 years of involvement in karate.
“I relied on my tactics, my strategy and also my experience to overcome them. They were all younger than me and I could not match them in speed. I am thankful that my career will have a happy ending.”
With the flying start yesterday, the karate squad managed to lay to rest the ghosts of Doha, where they made four finals and lost all.
Malaysia have three kumite exponents in action today – Lim Yoke Wai (men’s 67kg), G. Vathana (women’s 55kg) and Jamaliah Jamaludin (women’s above 68kg).
Star
The 35-year-old had two of his strongest rivals – defending champion Hsieh Cheng-kang of Taiwan and reigning Asian champion Ghasemi Laskoukalayeh of Iran – in the same pool.
But Puvaneswaran, the oldest exponent in the men’s below 55kg kumite competition, relied on his experience to get into the final.
And he went on to claim his second Asian Games gold medal by beating Mohd Almaki Emad of Saudi Arabia.
A gallant Puvaneswaran began well by beating Vietnamese Nguyen Hoang Hiep 1-0. Then, in the quarter-final, he avenged his defeat by Cheng-kang in the final at the Doha Games with a sudden death victory.
Puvaneswaran then cleared the semi-final hurdle against Ghasemi with a 1-0 margin.
In the final, Puvaneswaran and Mohd Almaki were hesitant to the make early moves and they remained deadlocked even after an extra minute of tie-breaker.
It was then left to the referee to decide on the outcome after the four judges were split in their judgement.
Puvaneswaran was then announced as the winner and he sank to his knees in gratitude after reclaiming the title he won in Busan in 2002.
Puvaneswaran is now the most successful Malaysian karate exponent with two gold medals, one silver and one bronze from four Asian Games.
He made his debut in Hiroshima in 1994 and the only time he missed out on a medal was at the 1998 Bangkok Games when he was disqualified for striking at his opponent’s neck.
Puvaneswaran was happy with his performance in his last international outing for Malaysia.
“I wanted to go out as a history-maker. I stayed positive despite the tough draw,” he said.
“I told myself that my opponents had more reasons to fear me, with my over 20 years of involvement in karate.
“I relied on my tactics, my strategy and also my experience to overcome them. They were all younger than me and I could not match them in speed. I am thankful that my career will have a happy ending.”
With the flying start yesterday, the karate squad managed to lay to rest the ghosts of Doha, where they made four finals and lost all.
Malaysia have three kumite exponents in action today – Lim Yoke Wai (men’s 67kg), G. Vathana (women’s 55kg) and Jamaliah Jamaludin (women’s above 68kg).
Star
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