Johor woman, 84, who practised taekwondo for 16 years gets honorary black belt despite being wheelchair-bound now

An 84-year-old woman from Pontian, Johor, was awarded a black belt in taekwondo on Jun. 6 2026.

Sin Chew reported that the woman, named Lim Sek Eng, had practiced taekwondo for 16 years, finally achieving her dream of reaching a black belt rank.

She was awarded the honorary rank of black belt, 1st dan from the Kukkiwon (also known as the World Taekwondo Headquarters), the highest and most central authority for Taekwondo worldwide.

Her martial arts journey

Lim hails from the small town of Pekan Nanas, which means "pineapple town" in Malay and is known for its pineapple production.

She told Sin Chew that she embarked on her training at the age of 58 with her youngest son, who is a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) practitioner.

No slouch himself, the 42-year-old obtained a black belt at the mere age of 16 and started teaching since.

Lim would initially help to take care of the students at the dojo but as time passed, she began to learn alongside them.

Despite suffering from ailments and pain in her legs, she persisted in her training.

A hard life

In her younger days, Lim worked in a pineapple factory, earning only RM0.25 (S$0.078) an hour. Eventually, she opened a fruit stall with her husband, selling cut fruit, agar jelly, and herbal jelly to support her family.

Because she would often go around selling fruit on a tricycle, she began developing various problems in her legs, reported Sin Chew.

Due to her deteriorating health, she was forced to give up taekwondo at age 74.

In 2019, she also fractured her femur for a second time, and since then, has been bound to a wheelchair and is only able to walk short distances.

Achievement

Nevertheless, her story eventually reached the higher-ups at the Kukkiwon, who decided to award her with the honorary black belt certificate.

Lim admitted that she never participated in Taekwondo promotion exams. She pointed to the difficulty of finding a suitable sparring partner at her age, a necessary component of taking the exam.

However, her youngest son believes that she had gained competency in multiple aspects of Taekwondo, such as kicking and stances, and estimates that her skill level hovered around the black belt, 3rd dan rank.

Lim now lives with her son and takes care of her three grandchildren. She also helps dispense medicine and takes care of patients at her son's TCM clinic.