KUALA LUMPUR: National taekwondo Poomsae queen, Nurul Hidayah Abdul Karim, has made the toughest decision of her 20-year career - quitting.
The curse of injuries was among the reasons for the 25-year-old's decision to retire from the sport.
Hidayah's last international
outing was the Hangzhou Asian Games in September where she exited the quarter-finals due to controversial judging.
Hidayah said she consulted her coaches before making the sad decision.
She plans to be a coach and will focus on taking coaching licences and courses like sport science.
Hidayah burst into the scene after partnering Jason Loo to win the mixed pair event for Malaysia's only taekwondo gold at the 2019 Manila Sea Games.
Hidayah and Jason then landed the silver medal in the Under-30 mixed pair at the 2022 Goyang World Taekwondo Poomsae Championships.
Hidayah also partnered her younger sister, Nur Humaira, to win a bronze medal in the Under-30 Female Team in Goyang.
Hidayah proved that she is still among the best in Southeast Asia after winning the mixed pair gold with Jason at the Phnom Penh Sea Games in May.
Hidayah said she hopes to become a policewoman after completing her Sports Management degree in Universiti Malaya.
"I want to follow in my father's footsteps to join the police. I hope I can achieve it," she said.