Recalling his journey into the world of martial arts, Moganarrajan, 20, said his father, I Perumal, 67, had enrolled him in taekwondo at the age of 12.

However, the shy yet ‘aggressive’ competitor felt a tinge of sadness that this victory could not be shared with his father who died in February.

“…in primary school, I was bullied. They threw rocks, beat me up…That is why my dad signed me up for taekwondo. But Dad has since passed on.”

“Dad wanted to see me win a gold medal. That’s not possible now that he has left us, but my taekwondo masters, and my mother, are here to witness this proud moment,” he told reporters at the Unity Stadium in Petra Jaya here last night.

In the final last night, Moganarrajan defeated Ahmad Muhaimin from Negeri Sembilan, ensuring that he became Johor’s first taekwondo athlete to bring home a gold medal from the Land of the Hornbills.

Meanwhile, Johor coach G Loorthunathan believes Moganarrajan is a special talent in taekwondo because of his strong mental and physical attributes.

“He’s been called up by the national team but his focus is on the Games now,” he said.