A former student of D.S. Senanayake College, Kandy, Abdul Iqbal Mohammed Adhali is among a five-member team representing Sri Lanka at the IFMA World Muay Thai Championship being held in Thailand from December 3 to 12.
A product of coach MHM Fahid who is also coach of the Iron Martial Arts Association Sri Lanka, the 20-year-old has been practicing this martial art from the age of six.
“He is very dedicated and focused in improving his skills with hard work,” said Fahid.
The youngest in a family of three sons from Madawala in the Kandy district, Iqbal showed aptitude for sports like football representing the school junior teams as a centre forward.
However, he was more attracted to martial arts like kick boxing especially the Thai art of Muay Thai in which he is destined to go places.
“I want to bring glory to Sri Lanka in Muay Thai,” said Iqbal.
He will be fighting in the 67kg weight category at the world meet after winning the selection tournament held at the Ambepussa Army camp in October.
It was as a 10-year-old that he first came into the limelight when he won a kick boxing Open tournament at the Peradeniya University in 2010 in the under 35kg weight category.
After regularly taking part in competitions, he displayed his versatility by winning the gold medal in a Jeet kune-do Invitation meet in the Central Province in 2019. Last year he bagged a silver medal at the National Muay Thai Championship in the 67kg category in addition to a gold medal in the National Muay Thai Virtual Championship fighting in the 75kg category.
He won a bronze medal at the 2020 World Muay Thai Virtual Championship on his international debut.
This year he won a bronze medal at the National Muay Thai Virtual Championship before winning the selection meet.