SHAH ALAM: All it took was 13 seconds for Pahang’s Danish Mirza Nasrin to get an Ippon and secure his state the gold medal for the men’s above-90kg judo event at the IDCC Convention Centre on Sunday (Aug 16).
His opponent, Shaldon Yanjun Thae from Penang, was left bewildered as he found himself on his back after the 18-year-old overpowered him.
"It was something we’ve worked on in training," said Danish after the match.
"There was a fifty-fifty chance it would work. So I just went for it."
Remarkably, this was not his fastest win in a match.
"During the Penang Invitational, I used the same technique and won in four seconds," he said.
Despite only discovering judo three years ago, Danish continues to demonstrate his natural talent for the sport.
"My coach discovered me when I was randomly sitting in class one day. He must have recognised my potential."
He aspires to continue his upward trajectory by being selected for the national team to participate in the 2027 home SEA Games.
Meanwhile, it was raining ippons throughout the day as Penang and Sarawak shared the rest of the gold medals on offer.
Penang emerged as the largest benefactor, with Ivan Ong Jun Hee clinching the men’s Under-90kg title, while Khor Wei Ning dominated the women’s Under-63kg category.
Sarawak’s Leng Ko Jia claimed the title in the women’s Under-70kg event.
For Ivan, this was a special achievement as it marked his first Games competing in the lighter category, having previously secured silver in the above-90kg event at the Kuching Games in 2024.
"Before the Games, I lost my first match badly after transitioning to this lighter category. They’re a lot faster so it was hard to adapt," said Ivan.
However, the world No. 77 persevered and now holds a gold medal in his possession.
"All those hours in training have definitely helped me become more nimble."
RESULTS
Men
Under-90kg
Final: Ivan Ong Jun Hee (Pen) bt Mohd Suria Mohd Iskandar (Sel) 10-0
Bronze-medal playoff: Mohd Khairizwan Mohd Riza Redzuan (Joh) bt Ahmad Nabil Safiy Ahmad Shukri (Per) 11-0
Over-90kg
Final: Danish Mirza Nasrin (Pah) bt Shaldon Yanjun Thae (Pen) 10-0
Bronze-medal playoff: Amir Luqman Azhar (Joh) bt Elisha Noel (Swk) 17-0, Kok Jean Feng (Sel) bt Mohd Hanif Syafiee Danial (Ter) 5-0
Women
Under-63kg
Final: Khor Wei Ning (Pen) bt Nur Aina Batrisyia Zuhaimi (Ter) 10-0
Bronze-medal playoff: Nur Ainaa Afifah Asrul Affandi (Ked) bt Alysha Shahrom (Joh) 10-1, Nor Shazreen Samsul Anuar (Per) bt Nur Batrisya Allya Rosli (Pah) 12-0
Under-70kg
Final: Leng Ko Jia (Swk) bt Tan Mei Xu (Mel) 10-0
Bronze-medal playoff: Chen Beixin (Pen) bt Nur Delisha Suhaimi (Pah) 11-0, Nurul Husna Atasya Abdullah (Ter) bt Nurul Diana Abdullah (Joh) 10-0
