SELANGOR: Martha Evyanna delivered Sarawak’s first taekwondo medal at the 2026 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) after securing bronze in the girls’ finweight category on the opening day of competition on Thursday (Aug 14).
The Sarawak fighter booked her place in the semi-finals with a 2-0 victory over Perak’s Nur Aleeya Maisara in the quarter-finals before bowing out in the last four to settle for bronze.
Sarawak Taekwondo Association’s President, Azizul Annuar Adenan, described the result as an encouraging start for a squad featuring several new faces, while expressing confidence in the state’s prospects in the heavier weight categories.
“Most of the Sarawak team this time features new faces, so this is part of our main development team.
“We have athletes in the middleweight and heavyweight categories who have competed at previous SUKMA editions and trained with the national team, so there is potential there,” he told Sarawak Tribune.
Assistant coach Thirawit Jongkol praised Martha’s composure on her SUKMA debut and said the coaching staff had urged the athletes to give everything in their semi-final bouts.
“I told them to give their full power, to give everything in the semi-final. It’s their first time competing at SUKMA.
“I was pleasantly surprised because, despite being first-timers, one of them managed to win a bronze medal,” he said.
Attention will now shift to the men’s and women’s middleweight and heavyweight divisions on August 15 and 16, with Sarawak targeting two gold medals to round off its taekwondo campaign.
