31-year-old national karate player R. Sharmendran will be retiring as an athlete and commence his career in coaching beginning next month. Datuk Nur Azmi Ahmad, the president of the Malaysia Karate Federation (MAKAF), stated that Sharmendran will not continue in the Podium Programme and instead will be coaching the development team.
The four-time SEA Games champion has undergone six surgeries in the course of nine years, and just last month he underwent anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) surgery on his left knee. The injury was inflicted during his training camp in Egypt in June, and because of this, he could not perform to his full potential at the Hangzhou Asian Games in September. Sharmendran was also not able to attain the Asiad bronze medal after being defeated by Kyrgyzstan’s Azim Nurlanov 8-0 in the men’s Kumite below 75kg repechage round.
As shared with NST, Sharmendran, who has been in the national team for 12 years, expresses that he is thankful for this opportunity by MAKAF. He expresses that he still holds much passion for the sport and is excited to contribute towards training new athletes.
Source: News Straits Times
