Target met on first day

Asian champion R. Puvaneswaran secured an easy victory over Vietnam's Pham Hoai Long to successfully defend his 55kg kumite title at the Chanapolkhan Institute yesterday. Puvaneswaran won 6-2.

AS promised the karate team delivered four gold medals and as expected R. Puvaneswaran successfully defended his 55kg kumite title at the Chanapolkhan Institute yesterday.

Puvaneswaran, the Asian champion, beat Vietnam's Pham Hoai Long 6-2 in the final.

It was Pham's second loss to the Malaysian who also won when the two met in the final of the Asian Championships in Nilai, Negri Sembilan two months ago.

"I am very happy to win my fourth Sea Games gold," said Puvaneswaran, 33.

"The fight was all purely tactics. I waited for him to make his moves to attack."
"I will continue competing in the Sea Games just to see my standard but I am looking at competing on the European circuit next year." he added.

Malaysia also reigned supreme in the men's kumite 65kg category when Lim Yoke Wai beat Indonesia's Donny Dharmawan 3-2 in the final.

Yoke Wai, 26, who whitewashed Thailand's Somporn Buabun 8-0 in the semi-finals, was aggressive throughout his final

"I needed to be aggressive to get the first point. I controlled my steps and movements so that I would not make silly mistakes. I am glad to win," said Yoke Wai.

Ku Jin Keat and Lim Lee Lee contributed Malaysia's third and fourth gold medals in the kata competition.

Jin Keat beat Noel Espinosa of the Philippines 5-0 in the final, while Lee Lee outscored Vietnam's Nguyen Hoang Ngan 5-0.

Jin Keat and Lee Lee, who have been a pair dating for some time now, also collected gold in the 2001 (Kuala Lumpur) and 2005 (Manila) editions.

"I am happy that I won gold especially after a disappointing outing in Doha," said Jin Jeat referring to the Asian Games where he was a silver medallist.

"I was determined to win a gold here and I am glad I achieved it."

The women's kata team comprising Lee Lee, Thoenh Ai Poh and Chin Fang Yin could only manage silver after losing to Vietnam 5-0.

Their male counterparts - Cheah Boon Chong, Jin Keat and Tan Chee Seng - lost 3-2 to Vietnam in the semi-finals and finished with bronze.

Asian championVasantha Marial, who was also expected to deliver gold in the women's kumite under-49 category, had to settle for bronze following a sudden-death 1-0 loss to Vietnam's Vu Thi Nguyet in the semi-finals.

Newcomer G. Vathana, competing in the women's kumite under-53kg category, beat Myanmar's Nan Saing Main 6-0 for the bronze.

NST