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National deaf karate athlete V Yilamaran bagged the Silver medal after losing to Makhno Oleksanr of Ukraine in the final of the men’s kumite below 84kg category yesterday, 3 May, according to Bernama.
Earlier, Yilamaran had defeated Brazilian Sergio Garcia in the first round, followed by Israel’s Avi Bokler in the quarter-finals, and Iran’s Abdolghafour Ebhahim in the semi-finals of the 24th Deaflympics.
According to him, the achievement was no small feat considering the 22-year-old was making his debut in the 2021 Summer Deaflympics, officially known as the XXIV Summer Deaflympic Games.
Ong said that with the historic achievement, the national deaf sports contingent has the opportunity to add to the medal tally through other sports such as badminton, cycling, and athletics.
In November last year, Yilamaran made another history when he captured Malaysia’s first medal – a bronze – at the inaugural World Deaf Karate Championships in Tehran, Iran.
“Well done to our national deaf athlete. Yilamaran is a national hero! I am very proud of his achievement because this is his first Deaflympics outing and he won a silver medal,” he posted on his Facebook page.
“The Johor-born athlete created personal history as this is the first time the country has participated in this event on the world level and he won a medal for Malaysia. As a sign of appreciation, the state government will award RM8,000 for his success in making the name of the state and the country famous in the world,” Johor Menteri Besar Onn Hafiz Ghazi wrote on his Facebook page last night.