Amir Daniel Secures Historic First-Ever Commonwealth Games Judo Gold for Malaysia in Glasgow

GLASGOW, Aug 1 — National judo exponent Amir Daniel Abdul Majeed etched his name into the history books by capturing Malaysia’s first-ever Commonwealth Games gold medal in judo at the Glasgow 2026 Games.

The 21-year-old Penangite delivered a sensational performance in the men’s Under-81 kilogram (kg) category final at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), defeating South Africa’s Timothy Meuwsen via waza-ari using a kata-guruma technique over a four-minute contest.

World-ranked 117th, Amir Daniel pulled off a major upset against Meuwsen, who ranks 41st globally, delivering Malaysia’s eighth gold medal of the Glasgow Games.

Making the victory even sweeter, his mother, Yeoh Suatkhim, and his sister, Nur Yasmeen, were present in the stands to witness the historic moment.

“This medal is for all Malaysians. This is Malaysia’s first-ever Commonwealth Games judo gold medal, and I can say this medal holds immense value. All the sacrifices, blood, sweat, and tears finally yielded the best success,” Amir Daniel told Bernama.

“The sacrifices were in terms of time and finances, aside from time with family. Every day I had to undergo training and continue my studies. There was never time for me to sit down and ask my mother how her day went,” the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) student added.

“Perhaps after this I can rest for a week and spend time with my family,” he remarked following his dream debut in the Under-81kg category.

Amir Daniel’s journey to the top of the podium was marked by significant physical hurdles. Earlier this year, he suffered a grade two medial collateral ligament (MCL) tear, which required extensive rehabilitation and ongoing medical treatment.

However, the injury failed to deter his resolve on the Glasgow mat.

“I didn’t view the injury as a setback, but something to learn from and overcome,” he noted.

Amir Daniel previously made history for Malaysia at the 2022 Birmingham edition when he secured bronze in the Under-73kg category—marking the nation’s first Commonwealth Games judo medal.

Having achieved glory in Glasgow, the young athlete has set his sights on an even larger target: qualifying for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games and contending for a podium finish on the Olympic stage.

–NMT