MANILA: Despite teaming up less than six months ago, Taekwondo exponents Jason Loo Jun Wei and Nurul Hidayah Abdul Karim emerged winners of the poomsae mixed pairs event at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium here today.
The duo demonstrated their agile techniques with full of charisma to earn the gold with 8.283 points, overcoming host team challengers Dustin Jacob Mella/Rinna Babanto, who were close behind with 8.233 points.
It was the first SEA Games appearance for Jason, 18, and second for Nurul Hidayah, 21, who participated in the women’s team poomsae event in the last edition.
“Today, we tried to do our best, although it’s the first time we are taking part in the Games together. We were able to do this because we focused a lot on improving our timing and synchronisation,” said Nurul Hidayah, who has partnered Jason since June.
Thailand’s Pattarapong Sengmueang/Phenkanya Phaisankiattikun (8.099) won silver while Indonesia’s I Kadek Dwipayana/Defia Rosmaniar (7.866) settled for bronze.
On the first day of the taekwondo competition, Malaysia also won two bronzes through the men’s individual and team poomsae events.
The men’s individual silver medallist at the Asian Open Championship in Vietnam, Augustine Rudy Grocer, finished with the joint-bronze medal with Myanmar’s Sun Shine as both athletes scored 7.849 points.
Gold went to the Philippines’ Rodolfo Reyes Jr. with 8,349 points while Thai athlete Pattarapong Sengmueang got the silver (8.199 points).
Jason and Augustine then teamed up with Yong Jin Kun to bring home the bronze medal in the men’s team poomsae event with 7.983 points, while the Philippines (8.483) and Vietnam (8.416) won the gold and silver respectively. — Bernama
