PETALING JAYA: Deepavali will be a welcome chance to celebrate for Malaysian kumite coach R. Sharmendran, who has plenty to be thankful for after guiding his charges to a five-medal haul at the recent Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya.
But even after a landmark campaign, the former national karate champion knows his coaching journey is far from over.
Sharmendran has emerged as one of Malaysia’s most successful karate coaches after his athletes delivered two gold and three bronze medals at the Games.
C. Shahmalarani (women’s below 50kg) and Adeola Fay Robert (women’s below 55kg) struck gold with breakthrough performances, while K. Thevendran (men’s below 55kg), H. Sureeya Sankar (men’s below 60kg) and the men’s team kata trio of Aiqal Asmadie, Haznil Henry and Mukhriz Mazlan took bronze.
Under the National Sports Incentive Scheme, gold medallists receive RM80,000, while silver and bronze medallists earn RM40,000 and RM20,000 respectively.
Coaches are also entitled to 20% of the athletes’ incentives, making it a rewarding year for Sharmendran.
He said he rarely gets to enjoy a lengthy Deepavali break because training usually continues, even during the festive period.
The week is also a special one for Sharmendran, who celebrated his 34th birthday on Thursday.
“Training still continues although we have finished the big competitions this year,” said Sharmendran, who was appointed national head kumite coach last year.
During his competitive career, Sharmendran went unbeaten in his weight category at four consecutive SEA Games from 2017 to 2023.
He has made an equally impressive transition to coaching, guiding Shahmalarani to the World Championships final in 2025 before overseeing Malaysia’s recent Asian Games success.
But Sharmendran is quick to point out that the achievements are the result of a collective effort built over many years.
“This didn’t happen in a few months or a few years.
“It started from the club, state and national programmes, built step by step over many years.
“It took patience, new frameworks, difficult decisions, risks, disagreements, sacrifices, and the courage to keep evolving and finding a more effective way forward.”
There is little time to rest, however, with Sharmendran now turning his attention to next year’s Kuala Lumpur SEA Games, where Malaysia have set an ambitious target of six gold medals in karate.
He will also be hoping to guide Shahmalarani to another podium finish at the World Championships in Italy.
Before those major assignments, the national team will compete in the WKF Karate World Cup in Hangzhou, China, later this month.
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