Malaysian Muay Thai athlete Rabiatul Adawiyah Mohd Yunus secured the women’s Under-24 48kg title at the IFMA Senior World Muay Championships held recently in Kosovo, continuing her strong performance following a gold medal win at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Perak just weeks earlier. Her victory positions her as a leading contender for the national team preparing for the 2027 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Sarawak, where Muay Thai is set to be featured.

Malaysia’s contingent in Kosovo comprised 10 athletes, several of whom delivered notable results. Marshall Jaydden captured gold in the men’s Wai Kru discipline, augmenting his recent success at the IFMA World Invitational Muay Thai Championships in Kuala Lumpur. In the men’s 54kg Ring Combat category, 2025 Thailand SEA Games gold medalist Wassof Rumijam earned a silver medal after falling to Turkiye’s reigning world champion Hamza Eren in the final bout.

Additionally, Nur Arisya Sofea, who was drafted in to replace Mia Ghazali due to eligibility issues related to age, proved her capabilities by claiming silver in the women’s 45kg Ring Combat category, losing to Vietnam’s world champion Mai Hoang Khanh. Arisya then secured gold in the Technical Muay Thai (Tatami) event, defeating India’s Ayushree Banerjee.

National head coach Bernard Radin highlighted that the championship serves beyond medal acquisition, functioning as an important platform for talent evaluation and team building across various weight classes ahead of the 2027 SEA Games. He emphasized the need to enhance athletes’ mental toughness, noting that confidence when competing against world champions remains an area for growth.

“The focus for the upcoming SEA Games preparations will encompass physical conditioning, technical skills, as well as mental resilience and the ability to perform under pressure,” Bernard stated. The results from Kosovo represent encouraging progress for Malaysia’s Muay Thai prospects as they aim to elevate their competitiveness on the regional and international stages.