No excuses, just wins: Sharmendran's message to his Asian Games karatekas

KUALA LUMPUR: The national karate exponents have been told to adapt and leave no room for excuses after an early accommodation issue in Japan was swiftly resolved by team officials.

Upon arriving for the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, the national camp encountered a hiccup when there were insufficient hotel rooms available for the team.

However, quick intervention by the Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) and National Sports Council (NSC) ensured the matter was resolved without disrupting their final preparations.

National coach R. Sharmendran, a four-time SEA Games champion, said the team took the situation in its stride and commended the secretariat for their prompt support.

"There wasn't enough rooms when we first arrived, but we are grateful to OCM and NSC as they acted very fast to fix the problem," Sharmendran said to NSC's Kapsul.

"Food options around the hotel are also plentiful, so logistics are no longer an issue. The support from the secretariat has been solid."

Rather than allowing off-mat issues to become a distraction, Sharmendran challenged his exponents to treat the experience as a test of their mental strength.

"There is a saying that you have to compete at the highest level even in the worst conditions. Anything can happen or go wrong, but the objective remains the same, you still have to compete to win," he said.

"Instead of dwelling on what's happening around them, the athletes must focus entirely on what they can control. That means controlling their mindset, their discipline, and their performance on the tatami."

Karate has traditionally been one of Malaysia's medal-producing sports at the Asian Games, and the current squad will be looking to maintain that record.

At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, Malaysia won one gold and two silver medals.

Arif Afifuddin Malik captured the men's kumite under-84kg gold to end Malaysia's nine-year wait for a karate title at the Games, while Lovelly Anne Robberth won silver in the women's individual kata and another silver in the women's team kata.

Malaysia's best Asian Games haul in karate came at the 2010 Guangzhou edition, when the national team won two gold, two silver and one bronze.

The gold medals were secured by kata exponent Ku Jin Keat and kumite fighter R. Puvaneswaran.