There's a common misconception that brains does not go along with brawn, but Shahmalarani Chandran has both in equal measure.

The 23-year-old is a national karate champion, and a actuarial science graduate who has written a Mathematics textbook for SPM students.

News portal Free Malaysia Today (FMT) recently spoke to the lass from Shah Alam, Selangor, who took up the martial arts when she was 12, and went on to win four national championships and a host of other medals in regional and international karate tournaments.

"I think 24 hours is still enough to balance education and sports, and I'm still working on improving my time management, to make sure my day is well used," she told FMT.

Following her recent graduation with a degree in actuarial science, Shahmalarani taught maths to secondary and university students.

Calling maths her "passion", Shahmalarani said that the subject of numbers can be intimidating if one does not have a good foundation in it.

As for her involvement in karate, Shahmalarani said that the martial arts had instilled in her discipline and time management skills that she had used to her advantage outside of ther dojo.

"They say karate is a lifestyle. We don't only learn about fighting and our competitions, we also learn skills, we learn about values.

"All sports teach values, so that is quite a good commitment a student or an athlete should go for, because it's not only about keeping fit but also learning some life lessons," she told the portal.

Shahmalarani intends to pursue her Master's degree and PhD in maths, while teaching the subject, at the same time training in karate to represent the country.

She had given up a chance to compete in the 2017 SEA Games to focus on her studies, but now that she has got her degree, she is gunning to compete in the SEA Games happening in Hanoi, Vietnam, later this year.


Source & Photo source: Free Malaysia Today