LABUAN — Labuan senior karate athlete Syarulniza Abdul Jamil clinched a bronze medal in the Senior Women’s Individual Kumite Under-61kg event at the Russian Open Championship 2026 3.0, held in Sochi, Russia, from July 24 to 26.
Competing in the prestigious tournament for the second time, Syarulniza secured a podium finish after defeating Russia’s Tsysova Anastasia Viktorovna of the Moscow Region 5-5 in the bronze medal bout, winning on senshu after scoring the first point of the contest.
Earlier, she advanced past the opening round by defeating Khatnyuk Victoria Alekseevna of the Krasnodar Region before suffering a narrow 6-7 defeat to Chizjokova Darya Alexandrovna of the Oryol Region in the quarter-finals.
Syarulniza, however, bounced back in the bronze medal playoff to secure Malaysia’s place on the podium.
The Senior Women’s Individual Kumite Under-61kg title was won by Negovanovic Brankica of Karate Klub Sampioni, Serbia, while Chizjokova took the silver medal. The second bronze medal went to Sadikova Aigul Azatovna of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia.
Labuan Karate Association president Renshi Aswadee Taba said Syarulniza’s success demonstrated that Labuan karate athletes could compete on the international stage when given the necessary opportunities and support.
“With sufficient financial support to carry out continuous grassroots development programmes, we believe achievements like this can be sustained and enhanced in the future,” he said.
