Amir Daniel wins Malaysia's historic first judo gold at Commonwealth Games

Malaysian judoka Amir Daniel Abdul Majeed has achieved a historic milestone, becoming the first Malaysian to win a gold medal in judo at the Commonwealth Games. The 23-year-old athlete secured the coveted medal in the men's under-81 kilogram category at the Glasgow 2026 Games.

In a tense final bout at the Scottish Event Campus (SEC), the Penang-born athlete overcame South Africa's Timothy Meuwsen. Daniel executed a kata-guruma technique for a waza-ari victory after a hard-fought four minutes. This triumph is particularly sweet as the world No. 117-ranked Amir Daniel managed to surprise Meuwsen, who is ranked 41st globally. This victory also marks an improvement on his performance at the Birmingham 2022 Games, where he won a bronze medal in the under-73kg category.

Earlier in the competition, Amir Daniel had advanced to the final by defeating Australia's Keishin Ochi with a yuko from an utsuri-goshi technique in the semi-final match. The historic gold medal not only signifies Malaysia's first judo gold at the Commonwealth Games but also contributes as the eighth gold medal for the Malaysian contingent at the Glasgow 2026 Games.