Judo does Lee a lot of good

Photo by CHUA KOK HWA

WHEN budding judoka Lee Kar Hing, 13, took up the art at the age of seven years old, the main priority was to get his alarming body weight under control.

Over the years, the former pupil of SRJK (C) Jalan Davidson in Kuala Lumpur has not only lost the bulges from his previous chubby physique.

Intensive: Lee (right) going through the paces during training under Wong’s guidance.

He is now utilising his superiority in strength to outdo his opponents in competitions.

“It is an understatement to say that he was overweight when he joined us. Even his previous school was concerned about his well-being because he was unfit,” said Selangor Judo Association (SJA) secretary Susan Cheah.

“When we look at him today, we are pleased that he is in good shape physically. After losing the excessive weight, he has the right built for judo. Now, we need to teach him to use his flexibility and balance to his advantage.”

Lee, a Form One student of Methodist Boys’ School (MBS) Kuala Lumpur, has captured the Selangor Junior Judo Championships boys’ Under-13 title for the past four years.

”My immediate aim is to compete at the national junior level. I realised that I need to perfect my moves to be among the top junior exponents in the country,” said Lee.

Lee’s father Lee Chee Chong, 44, said his son has an outgoing and bubbly personality.

“He enjoys mingling with others through his participation in judo. Honestly, we did not expect him to do well in judo. Initially, it was merely a form of exercise and to prevent him from being exposed to negative influences. The coaches have done a great job in grooming him to become a better person,” he added.

Lee is equally impressive in his studies, scoring 5As and 2Bs in his UPSR examination.

And, the SJA is gearing him up to compete in either the boys’ below 90kg or below 100kg at Malaysia Games (Sukma) to be held in Terengganu next year.

“He might be one of the youngest to take part in judo at the Games. So far, he has only competed at state level. He is still unknown and it will be a good exposure for him to gauge where he stands against exponents from other states,” said Cheah.

However, Lee needs to work on reducing his weight to feature in the below 90kg. At the moment, he weighs at 94kg.

“He is a very obedient and follows our instructions. But, we need to fire him up to show more aggression when he is competing because he is timid by nature,” added Cheah.

Currently, Lee trains under the tutelage of SJA coach Johnathan Wong up to four times a week.

Besides going through the paces with intensive training for three hours a session, he also attends training sessions for the Methodist Boys School (MBS) exponents at the YMCA in Brickfields, which is funded by the MBS Old Boys’ Association.

“Usually, our trainees work out for two hours a session. Those selected for the special programme puts in an extra hour to improve their strength and endurance. Although a competition bout is only five minutes, they have to stay on the mat for 30 minutes during sparring because we believe only the fittest will survive at high level competitions. In addition, we incorporate ochikomi (shadow sparring with a partner) for them to polish up on their techniques,” said Wong.

Lee, who also aspires to become an instructor, is also assisting the SJA’s beginners in training.

“It gives me great satisfaction when I am able to help others,” he said.

LEE KAR HING  Age: 13 years  School: Methodist Boys School, Kuala Lumpur  Previous School: SRJK (C) Jalan Davidson  Height: 1.64m  Weight: 94kg  Event: Either below 90kg or below 100kg  Favourite Food: Fish  Favourite Past Time: Badminton  Favourite Hangout: Judo gymnasium  Ambition: Doctor  ACHIEVEMENTS 2004-2007  Selangor Junior Judo Championships boys’ Under-13 champion