Amir Daniel's Historic Glasgow 2026 Gold Fires Up Malaysian Judo – MJF

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 17 (Bernama) -- For years, Malaysia’s medal hopes in martial arts at major Games have rested on karate, wushu, taekwondo, and silat.

Now, judo is stepping up. Amir Daniel Abdul Majeed made history at Glasgow 2026, delivering Malaysia’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold in the sport, winning the men’s under-81kg category.

That victory has fired up the Malaysia Judo Federation (MJF). President Datuk Andrew Lim Tatt Keong says Amir Daniel’s breakthrough could be the start of something bigger, with judo now eyeing a future as a powerhouse and a reliable source of medals for the country.

“I think this is not only a great achievement for Malaysian Judo, but it's a great achievement for Malaysia. We are very proud to be able to achieve this for our country,” he told Bernama.

Amir Daniel clinched gold by defeating South Africa’s Timothy Meuwsen via waza-ari with a kata-guruma technique in the four-minute final at the Scottish Event Campus.

The upset was stunning as world No. 117 took down world No. 41, who settled for silver.

But MJF president Datuk Andrew Lim Tatt Keong says the federation is not stopping with Amir Daniel. He hopes this win sparks a wave of new Malaysian judoka ready for the global stage.

The goal, he says, is a stronger development pipeline, backed by proper funding for international exposure, top-tier coaching and sports medicine support.

Amir Daniel’s rise, Andrew notes, has been steady: bronze at Birmingham 2022 (under-73kg), Malaysia’s first SEA Games gold in 44 years at Thailand 2025 (under-81kg), and now Glasgow gold.

Next, MJF wants the 21-year-old to keep that momentum, pushing for a podium at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 (Sept 19 to Oct 4) and then qualifying for LA 2028 (July 14 to 30).

-- BERNAMA