SIBU (Feb 29): Sarawakian Geraldine Chung recently won a silver medal for judo at the British Universities Championship in Walsall.

The 20-year-old judoka from the Sarawak Judo Association (PJS) is currently furthering her studies in the United Kingdom.

She represented Teeside University in the women’s 50kg category.

This latest achievement comes after she won a bronze at the Harnes International Judo Open Championship in England last November.

“Hopefully, I can build on the momentum, improve my strength and stamina to win a bigger prize in the coming tournament,” she said when contacted.

A silver medallist at the 2022 Malaysian national championship, Chung has also taken part in open tournaments in Thailand and Taipei but did not find success.

Since beginning her tertiary education in the United Kingdom, she has begun training under a new coach and shown marked improvement in her fighting technique.

Chung is also expected to return home to help Sarawak hunt for gold medals at the 21st Malaysia Games (Sukma) in August.

PJS president Dato Sri Lau Kueng Chai was elated with Chung’s performance.

“She has the potential to go far and I believe with more hard work, it’s not an impossible mission for her to help deliver a gold medal for the state judo contingent,” he said.

Meanwhile, PJS will send 18 athletes to take part in the National Junior Judo Championship in Lumut, Perak on March 2-3.

PJS secretary Ngiam Sze Yuan said participating in the competition would hopefully give exposure to the state’s youth team.

Spearheading the team are Leng Ko Jia, 15, and Tan Xin Hung, 20, both of whom are also expected to make up the state squad for Sukma 2024.

He said they would be banking on girl power to win some medals in Lumut.

“The boys will be out to gain exposure but overall, we do expect to bring back some medals,” added Ngiam.