Sarawak’s taekwondo athlete Chin Ken Haw reached the final round of the men’s individual poomsae event at the Asian Games in Aichi, Japan, despite having just over a year of preparation. The 21-year-old, competing in his first Asian Games, advanced to the final at Toyohashi Gymnasium but ultimately placed seventh out of eight finalists with an average score of 8.8700.

The gold medal in the men’s individual poomsae went to South Korea’s Yun Kyu-sung, who achieved a score of 9.3800, contributing to South Korea’s clean sweep in the poomsae categories. Earlier, Jung Hae-eun clinched the women’s individual gold for South Korea with a score of 9.3100.

Chin, who secured a bronze medal at the Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, qualified for the final after scoring 8.7800 in the morning semi-final heat, placing second behind Yun Kyu-sung. Malaysia’s other competitor in the poomsae event, Yow Mei Yee, did not advance to the final, finishing seventh in the first semi-final heat with a score of 8.2300. The competition format allowed the top four finishers from each semi-final heat to proceed to the afternoon final.

National poomsae coach Yap Yih Tiing highlighted the significance of Chin’s achievement, noting the limited preparation time compared to other athletes who had trained since the previous Asian Games. “Making the final is already a big step forward,” Yap said, acknowledging that better execution of techniques could have improved Chin’s standing. He also pointed out the challenge posed by the competition format, which required athletes to perform both recognised and freestyle routines on the same day.

Chin’s performance at the Asian Games marks a notable milestone for Malaysia’s taekwondo program, offering valuable experience as he continues to develop in the sport.