MONGOLIA TRAINING KEY TO AMIR DANIEL’S HISTORIC SEA GAMES JUDO GOLD

GEORGE TOWN, Dec 21 (Bernama) -- A month of intensive training in Mongolia paid off handsomely for national judoka Amir Daniel Abdul Majeed, who etched his name into Malaysian sporting history by delivering the country’s first judo gold medal in 44 years at the 2025 SEA Games in Thailand.

Amir Daniel ended Malaysia’s long wait for judo gold since the last triumph in 1981 after clinching the men’s under-81kg title, marking the biggest achievement ever recorded by the sport at the SEA Games.

The 21-year-old said the high-intensity training camp in Mongolia with the national team, which involved at least two training sessions daily over a month, was crucial in sharpening his form heading into the Games.

“In the previous two SEA Games, I only managed bronze medals. This time, the coaches and the judo association had set at least a gold medal as the target for my category, and from the beginning, our focus was on winning.

“Alhamdulillah, all the hard work paid off at the Thailand SEA Games. I’m extremely happy because after 44 years, Malaysian judo has finally won gold again. It means a lot to me and to the team,” he said.

Amir Daniel was speaking to reporters after joining members of the public to watch the live screening of the Thailand SEA Games 2025 closing ceremony and the SEA Games flag handover at Waterfront Foodie @ Bayan Lepas here last night.

Amir Daniel said the gold medal was also dedicated to his late father, who died while he was undergoing training in Mongolia, although his passing on Nov 27 did not dampen his spirit, but instead strengthened his resolve to end Malaysia’s long gold medal drought in judo.

“I want to share this gold medal with my late father because he always paid close attention to my judo training. He was my strongest supporter and the one who introduced me to judo when I was five.

“I love him very much. When he died, I was still in Mongolia preparing for the SEA Games. I returned immediately and managed to see him for the last time before the burial,” he said.

The Penang-born athlete, who is currently pursuing Environmental Biology studies at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), has now set his sights on competing at the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games next year, while also collecting qualification points for the 2028 Olympic Games.

Should he succeed, Amir Daniel would create another milestone by becoming Malaysia’s first judoka to compete at the Olympic Games.

Meanwhile, his personal coach Mat Nashriq Md Nasir, 40, said Amir Daniel’s journey in judo has been a long one, having started training at the age of five, and described him as an exceptionally hardworking athlete.

“I’ve coached Amir since he was five until now, almost 20 years. This success is not his alone, but the result of collective effort. We faced many challenges, especially in terms of international competition and financial constraints.

“We would like to take this opportunity to thank all parties, especially the National Sports Council, the state sports council, the state government and the judo association for their continuous support that has brought us to this stage,” he said.

The event concluded with a fireworks display against the backdrop of the Sultan Abdul Halim Mu’adzam Shah Bridge, illuminated in the colours of the Jalur Gemilang, symbolising the countdown to the Malaysia SEA Games 2027.

On Dec 13, Amir Daniel sealed the judo camp’s first gold medal at the 2025 SEA Games after defeating the Philippines’ Ferrer John Viron in the men’s under-81kg final at the Rajamangala Auditorium, Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi in Bangkok.

-- BERNAMA