Hangzhou 2022: Taekwondo tears as Diyanah just misses medal

By Patrick Johnston

There were heartbreaking tears shed by Diyanah Aqidah Muhammad Dian Khudhairi after she missed out on an Asian Games Taekwondo medal following a narrow quarter-final loss in the women’s individual poomsae event.

Diyanah, who won silver at the 2023 SEA Games in the same discipline, was beaten 108.8-106.8 by Chinese Taipei’s Chen Hsin Ya in what was essentially a shoot-out for bronze.

“I have been training very hard for this. I feel like it is a bit wasted because I could’ve won this round,” Diyanah said. “But I still gave my best.”

The 24-year-old SIM University sports studies and marketing student had confidently beaten Nepal’s Swastika Tamang in her opening contest but she blamed a lack of power in the first round for the loss to Chen.

“I obviously need to work more on my power and go to the gym more often,” Diyanah said.

In the men’s individual poomsae, Singapore’s Darren Yap lost his last 16 bout to Thailand’s Nuttapat Kaewkan 107.4-106.7.

Over at the HDU Gymnasium, Singapore’s fencers were left feeling optimistic about the rest of the Asian Games competition after some positive performances that led to four athletes reaching the last 16 of the men’s individual foil and women’s individual epee events on Sunday (24 Sep).

SEA Games epee champion Elle Koh had hoped to go one better and reach the last eight but the talented teenager, who took an early 6-3 lead in her last 16 bout, was beaten 15-12 by tricky Uzbek Dilnaz Murzataev.

For Koh, the loss was tough to take. The 16-year-old, who has four SEA Games gold medals to her name, had produced four confident wins from her five pool stage bouts that resulted in a bye through to the last 16.

“I think my performances were really good. There is a lot I can learn from this experience,” she said.

“It was just a style that I wasn't used to,” she said of Murzataeva. “I feel there was a lot of unfortunate hits that I just missed out on, that were very unlucky. 

“People have different unique styles. And the opponent counters my style, so I have to try things out of my comfort zone to beat her. I was hoping for a top eight so I’m quite disappointed.”

Like Koh, Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman also led in the early stages of her last 16 bout against second seed Choi Injeong of South Korea. However, Choi prevailed 15-11 to reach the last eight.

Kiria Tikanah Abdul Rahman leans in to strike in her Asian Games women's individual epee last 32 bout against Thai Korawan Thanee at HDU Gymnasium on Sunday (Sep 24) . Photo: SNOC/Kelly Wong

Kiria, though, was still smiling despite the loss. The 23-year-old, who made history as the first female Singaporean to compete in the epee event at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, won three of her five pool bouts before being drawn against Thai Korawan Thanee in the first knockout round. Kiria produced a confident display, taking a 15-7 victory before the loss to the highly-regarded Choi in the next round.

“Credit to her, she is really a lot more experienced than me. I think in the second half, she really took her chances and knew how to exploit my mistakes,” Kiria said.

Competing against the best in Asia and proving to herself she can succeed at this level was an important takeaway for Kiria.

“A lot to learn from this match…a lot of reflection after this. I think I could fence a lot better, it’s just having the confidence to execute the actions I want to. (I was) hesitating, and overthinking. I think also, giving too much respect to my opponent. Towards the end I felt a bit overwhelmed and forgot about what I should be doing. I needed to bring the focus back to myself.

“I think I can do even better next time.”

That next time will be in the team event, with Koh talking up their chances of success.

“Our aim is to medal, but I think we just need to try our best and enjoy the experience,” she said.

Jonathan Au Eong angles an attack towards his Qatari opponent en route to a narrow 5-3 loss in the Asian Games men's individual foil pool stages at HDU Gymnasium on Sunday (Sep 24) . Photo: SNOC/Kelly Wong

In the men’s individual foil, Jonathan Au Eong and Kieren Lock both came through a tough pool stage to reach the knockouts. Au Eong secured three wins from his five pool stage bouts to rank in the top 10, but the 2021 SEA Games champion saw his run ended by India’s Bibish Kathiresan, who secured a close-fought 15-12 win.

Lock secured two wins from his five pool matches and did brilliantly to storm ahead in his last 16 knockout bout, only for Chinese Taipei’s Chen Chih Chieh to claim a narrow 15-14 win.

The 19th Asian Games are held in Hangzhou, China from 23 September to 8 October 2023. For the latest Team Singapore coverage and news, follow Team Singapore on their social media channels (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok) or visit the official Team Singapore website.