Latest news with #SabahMuaythaiAssociation
Daily Express
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Daily Express
54 attend basic muaythai coaching course
Published on: Wednesday, July 09, 2025 Published on: Wed, Jul 09, 2025 By: GL Oh Text Size: The participants pose with the speakers after the closing ceremony. Kota Kinabalu: A basic muaythai coaching course organised by Sabah Muaythai Association was successfully held at the Youth Arena here from July 5-6. A total of 54 participants completed the two-day session coordinated by State muaythai head coach Cyrille Dhillon Tahing, who was also among the panel of speakers including Mardiana Mohd Maulana (State seni coach), Ranjit Singh Maan (strength and conditioning coach), Jonathan Quan and Greg Sipidi (muaythai coaches) as well as Sabah Muaythai Association president Nazri Ab Razak. In addition, Sabah Sports Council deputy director Valerie Woong and Nik Faiz from its sports science centre were also invited as guest speakers. Cyrille said the main aim of organising the course is to strengthen the development of muaythai in Sabah. 'This course is an important step towards expanding a more structured and professional coaching capacity across the State. 'This is one of the development programmes in line with the association's vision and mission. Hopefully, the increased number of coaches will help to identify more athletes, especially from schools, to be further developed into quality athletes in the future,' he said. Nazri, who officiated the closing ceremony with Valerie, was encouraged by the positive response from the participants and said the course syllabus covered important coaching components such as the ethics and responsibilities of a coach, methods of teaching basic muaythai techniques, direction of the association and a better understanding of what muaythai is about as well as sports science relevant to combat sports. 'The role and direction of coaches as a professional was also covered. The participants were also exposed to management training, communication in sports, as well as technical and tactical aspects that are the backbone of quality teaching. 'We are hoping more certified coaches can be produced throughout Sabah and help to strengthen the ecosystem for the development of muaythai athletes from the grassroots to the national and international stages,' he added. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
22-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Express
Sabah Muaythai influence grows
Published on: Sunday, June 22, 2025 Published on: Sun, Jun 22, 2025 By: GL Oh Text Size: (From left) Asyraf Danial, Mohd Wassof, Tengku Rozaini( Team Manager), Damia, Sally Kuan (Angie's mum), Angie Yan , Eva anastasia, Cyrille Dhillon Tahing and Adam Haiqal upon their arrival at the airport in Vietnam on Friday. Kota Kinabalu: Sabah muaythai's influence on the national team continued to grow as World champions Angie Yan Jia Chi and Asraf Danial and Eva Anastasia, all Sabahans, were featured in the six-member squad. They will be taking part in the IFMA Asian Muaythai Championship 2025 in Thai Nguyen, Vietnam, which started on Saturday (June21). Angie, a three-time IFMA Senior World Championship U23 winner in 2023, 2024, 2025 and Asyraf, who won the IFMA Senior World Championship 2024 U23 title will compete in the Wai kru discipline, while Eva Anastasia is in the – 48kg combat category. The other members in the team are Damia Husna (– 45kg combat), captain Mohd Wassof Rumijam (– 54kg combat) and Adam Haiqal (– 60kg combat). Head Coach is another Sabahan Cyrille Dhillon Tahing, who is entrusted with preparing the national squad for one of Asia's most prestigious Muaythai competitions, featuring participation from over 35 countries. According to him, Malaysia Muaythai Association are not setting any medal target, as the main focus is to provide exposure at international level ahead of the SEA Games 2025. Advertisement And is a stepping stone for future participation in regional professional circuits and centralised national training camps. However, he is confident the athletes will be able to deliver the goods in the six-day competition. 'Although the primary purpose of this trip is giving opportunities for development, that doesn't mean that we're not aiming for medals and I am certain the athletes will give their best for Malaysia,' he said on Saturday. Meanwhile, Sabah Muaythai Association president Hj. Nazri Ab Razak was proud of Cyrille and the three athletes. 'Seeing Sabahans earning places in the national team reflects our years of consistent effort, sacrifice, and structured development at state level. 'Their selection reinforces Sabah's status as an emerging force in Malaysian Muaythai and a consistent contributor to national and regional excellence. 'We are proud of their achievements and it is a defining milestone in their journey. We are confident that this will inspire more young talents in Sabah to pursue Muaythai at the highest level,' he said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
09-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Express
On track to produce more champs
Published on: Tuesday, June 10, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jun 10, 2025 By: GL Oh Text Size: Some of the participants with officials after the closing ceremony. Kota Kinabalu: Sabah Muaythai Association is on track to produce more champions in the future as the Sabah Muaythai Expo-Rookie Challenge organised by them was successfully held at the Revolution Combat Gym (State Muaythai Training Centre) in Penampang over the weekend. A total of 139 fighters aged 14-20 from 22 gyms throughout the State took part in the two-day competition for those with less than five fights experience. Advertisement State coach Cyrille Dhillon Tahing, who initiated the event, said the main aim was to lay a strong grassroots foundation in the sport as well as to give opportunity for the Sabah Games (Saga) bound athletes. 'Our main goal is not just to find a winner, but to build a strong foundation for the development of Muaythai in the State. 'Many out there may have great potential, but they don't have the opportunity to prove their abilities in a competitive environment, especially new athletes. 'Therefore, the Rookie Challenge was created as their first platform to meet their opponents on the same level, in a controlled, safe and professional environment. 'I believe that from this event, future champions will be born who will bring glory to Sabah at the national and international levels. 'This is also one of the strategic steps to help athletes to prepare ahead of the Sabah Games (Saga XI) in Tawau. 'I want them to be more prepared, confident, and experienced when representing their respective districts or teams later,' he said. President Hj Nazri Abd Razak was also happy with the positive response and said the competition played an important role in strengthening the Muaythai ecosystem in the State. 'It is through grassroots competitions like this, we not only provide opportunities for new talents to shine, but also instil a deep interest in combat sports among the younger generation. 'The Rookie Challenge was created specifically for our amateur athletes to compete on a big platform, and through a professional judging system and high competition standards. 'We want to build confidence and a winning mentality from the very beginning as we believe every champion has to start from the bottom,' he said. He also thanked strategic partners including Milo Malaysia, sponsors, coaches and all Muaythai fans in the State for their continued support. Meanwhile, Kapayan State Assembly representative Jannie Lasimbang, who officiated the opening ceremony, congratulated the State body and those involved for successfully staging the event. 'As a representative of the people, I feel very proud to see efforts like this — which not only raise the status of Muaythai, but also have a great impact on the development of young people's character. 'We live in a world full of distractions and temptations. Social pressures, easy access to illicit substances, and unstoppable negative influences — all of these have become realities that we cannot take lightly, especially in areas like Penampang. 'I believe that if we want to see a strong and prosperous society, we need to start from the foundation. A tournament like this is an important step towards that,' she said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
03-06-2025
- Sport
- Daily Express
Sabahan is three times world beater
Published on: Monday, June 02, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jun 02, 2025 By: GL Oh Text Size: Angie poses with her gold medal. Kota Kinabalu: It was a hat-trick of wins for Angie Yan Jia Chi as the Sabahan lass successfully defended her U23 World title in the wai kru event at the 2025 World Muaythai Championships held in Antalya, Turkey on Saturday. In the final, she proved her superiority with technical precision as she scored 9.60 points to edge her Filipina opponent Rhichein Yosorez by a margin of 0.1 points to take the title for the third time in a row. Last year, she won her second U23 title at the IFMA Senior World Championship held in Greece preceded by her maiden victory in Bangkok, Thailand a year earlier. She had previously also won two titles at the IFMA World Cup in Turkey and the World Combat Games in Riyadh in 2023. Her mother Sally Kuan, who has always been very supportive in her training, was present to accompany Angie at the championship to see her lifting the crown. She said her daughter's success in winning a gold medal for Malaysia proved the dedication and high spirit of the country's young athletes in the traditional art of Muaythai on the world stage. She also expressed her gratitude to Sabah Muaythai Association president Haji Nazri Abd Razak and the president of the Malaysian Muaythai Association Dato' Shahnaz Azmi for their support and joint efforts to promote the sport in the country. Meanwhile, Nazri congratulated Angie for the success and said her achievement proved that their developing programme is bearing fruit and hoped it will motivate more youth in the state to follow in her footsteps. 'Our programme has reached phase three in five years and with five world titles produced, we are certain many youth in Sabah will like to join us as pelapis (back-up) to follow the success story,' he said. He also made assurance that the discipline will be held in every competition organised by the State body and it is set to make its debut in this year's Sabah Games in Tawau. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Star
02-06-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Sabah's muay thai prodigy Angie Yan shines in Turkiye
KOTA KINABALU: Sabahan Angie Yan Jia Chi has once again made the state and country proud by retaining her world under-23 title in the female Wai Kru division at the 2025 IFMA World Muay Thai Championships in Antalya, Turkiye. Yan, 23, dazzled the judges in the final with a performance that combined tradition, grace, and technical precision, scoring 9.60 points to edge out her Filipina opponent by just 0.1 point. The narrow victory sealed her third consecutive world championship in the age category, having previously triumphed in Thailand (2023) and Greece (2024). Her mother, Sally Kuan, beamed with pride at her daughter's latest achievement, crediting Yan's discipline and love for muay thai's cultural roots. 'This win not only adds another gold to Malaysia's medal tally, but also highlights the determination and cultural pride of our youth in keeping tradition alive on the world stage,' she said. Yan has built a reputation as a dominant force in the non-combat Wai Kru category, a traditional pre-fight ritual that celebrates respect, heritage and mental focus in muay thai. Her growing list of accolades includes gold medals at the 2023 IFMA World Cup U-23 in Turkiye; the World Combat Games in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; and last year's Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Sarawak. Beyond competitive success, Yan also had the honour of being one of the two Malaysians at the 2024 Paris Olympics, not as a medal contender, but as part of a cultural showcase to promote muay thai globally. She was selected to perform a special muay thai demonstration aimed at advocating for its inclusion as an official medal sport in the future. 'This experience gave me the chance to promote our art on the world's biggest stage. It is about more than just competition, it is about honouring a tradition and showing the world how much it means to us,' Yan said in an earlier statement. Meanwhile, both the national and state muay thai bodies extended their congratulations, commending Yan's consistency and her role in promoting the sport. Sabah Muaythai Association president Nazri Ab Razak praised her as a role model for aspiring athletes. 'With five world titles now under Sabah's belt, we hope her success will inspire more youths in the state to pursue excellence in the sport, especially in its cultural disciplines,' he said. He also noted that the sport is entering the third phase of its five-year development plan in Sabah, with growing emphasis on expanding local competitions and strengthening grassroots talent. Among upcoming events, muay thai will feature prominently in the Sabah Games (Saga) in Tawau this October where, for the first time, the Wai Kru category will be officially included after making its debut as a demonstration event at Saga 2023 in Kota Kinabalu. Nazri said the inclusion is a testament to growing recognition of muay thai's cultural value alongside its sporting merit. 'We will continue developing the sport and creating more platforms for young Sabahan athletes to shine,' he added.
