Eidelweiss Fights Through Pain To End Sarawak's 24-year Wait For Karate Gold

By Muhammad Afiff Md Adnan

MIRI, Aug 18 (Bernama) -- The phrase ‘No Pain, No Gain’ aptly describes Sarawak exponent Eidelweiss Franzel Francey Sami after she ended the state’s 24-year gold medal drought in karate when she won the kumite women’s individual 68-kilogramme (kg) and above category today.

And she did it by gritting her teeth and fighting through the pain barrier after injuring her left ankle in the dying seconds of her final bout against Terengganu’s Mirza Amirah Syuhada Mohd Faizal at Institut Kemahiran Belia Negara (IKBN) here.

But she managed to hang in there to defeat Mirza Amirah 8-6 for Sarawak’s first gold in karate since the sport was introduced in SUKMA in 2000.

“I am grateful for this gold, more so since it’s the first in karate for Sarawak. Although I was injured, I did well and I am proud of my achievement.

“I also did not expect to strike gold after being given the opportunity to compete in this category (68kg and above). It has certainly been worth it as I previously competed in the below 68kg category,” she told Bernama as tears rolled down her cheeks.

Eidelweiss also admitted that she could imagine how her parents must have felt when Mirza Amirah gave her a stiff fight in the chase for points.

Meanwhile, Sarawak karate head coach Jarvis Julian Eidelweiss’ feat was a long-awaited achievement for him, who used to represent the state at SUKMA 2000.

“We’ve waited 24 years for this glorious moment… that’s a very long time but we finally created history.

“From the time I was an exponent until now, this is the first gold in karate. There’s nothing else I can say except that she has brought me joy and made me feel as if I’ve won the gold,” he said.

Jarvis, who has been training the karate squad since 2016, added that the success was also a result of continued exposure to popularise the sport at the grassroot level in Sarawak.

Meanwhile, Sabah’s Chin Xueyi and Kedah’s Y. Monisha shared the bronze.

-- BERNAMA