Mombasa — After excelling at the 11th edition of the Mombasa Open Tong Il Moo Do Championships, Kenya's Salma Ali Abdallah says her next goal is to strike gold at next year's World Championships in the Philippines.
Abdallah said she is spending every sleeping moment dreaming of glory while working herself out in training in readiness for this global tournament.
"Every day is a training day for me. I am more than ready...I am always ready. I wake up one day and you tell me let's go, I am ready because I am always training. I am always aiming for the gold...I went to Chung Ju in South Korea (2019 World Championships) and won bronze so now I want the gold," Abdallah said.
Nonetheless, she is not under the illusion that the path to glory will be an easy one rather she is expectant of hurdles in the form of tough opponents.
"As I said earlier, the competition is always tough. Win or lose you are still a champion...as long as you haven't quit, you are still a champion," Abdallah said.
She was one of the biggest winners of Tuesday's Mombasa Open Tong Il Moo Do International Championships at the Aga Khan Multipurpose Hall where she clinched gold in the senior women's category.
It was the fifth gold for her in the competition, which has been dominated by the home team for the last 11 editions.
Reflecting on her growth over the years, Abdallah noted she has metamorphosed into a more aggressive fighter, not willing to be cowed into fear on the canvas.
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"I would say aggressiveness...I think I have become more aggressive as the years go by. As you know, when the competition gets tough, you have to get tougher. So, I have become more aggressive in response to the competition and because I also want to win and it's not easy. At the same time, I have to compose myself," she said.
Abdallah, who is also the captain of the ladies team, has also had the responsibility of steering the younger players safely through the waters that is Tong Il Moo Do.
"As an instructor, I usually train kids who are under 18. One thing I always tell them is that there will be losers and winners when it comes to individual competitions. I hate to see any one of them disappointed and so even in the event of a loss, it should not be by a wide margin. That's why I try my best to train them so well so they can compete at a high standard," she explained.
Abdallah encouraged more youth -- especially ladies -- to take up the sport and reap its rewards, which go beyond winning medals in competitions.
