SEA Games 2025: A ‘magical birthday gift’ for mum as Marissa Hafezan wins karate gold

BANGKOK – A birthday text was prepped and ready to go on the morning of Dec 12, but Marissa Hafezan decided that her mother deserved a “magical” gift.

Hours later at the Chaeng Watthana Government Complex, the 19-year-old debutante gave her mum Rose Zaman Hafezan “the best birthday present ever” when she won a gold in the women’s kumite 55kg.

After letting out a celebratory roar on the competition mat, Marissa embraced her Singaporean mother in the hall, the pair overwhelmed by emotions as they burst into tears and exchanged kisses.

Her 5-3 win over Vietnam’s Nguyen Thi Dieu Ly was also a gift for Singapore, ending a 32-year-old gold-medal drought in karate at the regional Games.

Marissa, who was born in Singapore and lives in France, told The Straits Times: “Since I found out the competition schedule, I’ve been saying that I will get the gold just for her birthday.

“So it feels really magical to be able to give her this, and I know that she wanted it almost as bad as I do. So this isn’t only for me, it’s also for her.”

Rose, who turned 53 on Dec 12, could not stop smiling during an interview with The Straits Times alongside her husband, Iranian Siavosh Hafezan, 63.

She said: “I will remember this day for the rest of my life. It’s the best birthday present ever.

“No words can describe the joy. We are very happy for her well-deserved success.”

The Republic’s last triumph in the sport came in 1993, when Neo Ah Suan won the women’s kumite 60kg event on home soil.

Marissa’s victory in Thailand also ended a 14-year medal drought in karate for Singapore at the biennial event.

Her victory over Thi Dieu Ly was achieved in dramatic fashion in an arena brimming with palpable tension among a crowd of almost 200 people.

The Vietnamese struck the first point of the match, but with the score tied at 3-3, Marissa secured victory with a two-point strike before the time limit.

On her outburst of joy at the end of the match, she said: “I was just remembering all the pain, all the frustration from all the past experiences, and I just let it all out on the mat.”

The pain was from a dislocated shoulder suffered during a competition in Brunei in June, and surgery a month later put her participation in doubt.

But she was passed fit and aced her first Games test with golden colours.

Her participation at the biennial event came about after communication was established with the Karate-do Union of Singapore (KUS) in 2022, which then led to Marissa and her sister joining the Singapore national team for training whenever they visited the Republic for family holidays.

The family moved to Paris when Marissa was three due to her father’s job in the oil industry.

Rose said her younger daughter Nelisa, who is now 18, had enrolled in karate first, and after accompanying her sister to her first session, six-year-old Marissa’s curiosity was piqued.

Both sisters have competed locally in France, with Marissa representing Parisian club Evry-Courcouronnes Karate.

KUS president Seah Kwang Soon said that Marissa was selected to represent Singapore based on “her performance and merit during those sessions”.

He added: “Marissa’s performance adds to the momentum we have been building, and it certainly bodes well for the future of karate in Singapore.”

After her Thailand triumph, Marissa will return to Paris where she is a first-year psychology student at La Grande Ecole de psychologie.

She is eyeing a spot at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan, but for now she will savour her history-making feat.

She added: “It’s a lot of pride. It’s really hard to put words on it. I feel happy. I feel relieved. I also did not know that this was the first gold for karate (in over 30 years). It hasn’t sunk in yet. I can’t wait to see what’s next.”