FIRST OF ITS KIND
As fencers traveled to the Melaka Mall for the Palia Warisan foil, saber, and epee tournaments, they did not realize they would also have the opportunity to participate in Lightspeed history and try one of Malaysia’s newest combat sports. In Malacca City, Malaysia, on October 11th and 12th, Lightspeed Malaysia hosted their very first Lightspeed Tournament: Piala Warisan Lightspeed Saber Cup 2025.
The staging for the tournament initially got some strange glances. The lightsabers and LEDs didn’t look quite the same as the fencers expected for their other competitions. But activity soon grew interest, and it wasn’t long before tournament director Adam Azhad and head referee Nik Mika-El drew a crowd. They didn’t only attract interested fencers -- government officials from the Ministry of Youth and Sports were present at the event and got to see Lightspeed’s ruleset in action during the tournament, providing a helpful illustration of the sport’s gender inclusivity and safety at a time when Lightspeed groups all across Malaysia are waiting on the Ministry to recognize their teams as official chapters. It was an exciting moment to answer questions and provide insight as the sport grows. At the time of publication, there are nine Lightspeed teams working to be recognized in six of Malaysia’s states.
LONGEST OF ITS KIND
The tournament was hosted on Saturday, October 11th, and included 16 fencers. In what must be another first in Lightspeed history, none of the competitors at the tournament had ever practiced Lightspeed before the event, though all had experience in weapon-based combat sports.
The tournament began with a 30-minute demonstration and practice to get everyone familiar with the ruleset and safety measures, and then the pool began. All sixteen competitors were placed in one pool for the tournament, meaning each fencer fought fifteen opponents over the course of the event in 12-point matches or until 1:30 on the clock! Eventually, for the sake of time (and stamina), the pool matches were cut off after each fencer fought around 10 matches, and the tournament moved into semi-finals and finals based on the pool rankings.
HEMA fencer Stefan E Von Teichen took the gold medal in the men’s division. He was one of the fastest fencers at the event, and one of the older competitors in the tournament with an age range from teens to 70s. Coming in second place for the men’s division was Tan Kang Yun, Von Telchen’s protégé. Siti Khalimah won gold in the women’s finals and is in the process of registering her own Lightspeed chapter.
Sunday was used as a demo, opened up to the public for tryouts and had some interest from kids and adults, some of whom were competing in the other fencing tournaments that day and found Lightspeed after their own event.
UP NEXT
The next few months are going to be spent focusing on developing teams nationwide and getting everyone registered with the Ministry of Youth and Sports! Lightspeed Malaysia is looking at hosting another public showcase in January and resuming regular practices in the new year, with the next tournament planned for April. Anyone interested in joining or following Lightspeed Malaysia can find them on Instagram at @Lightspeedsabermy or on Facebook at Lightspeed Saber League Malaysia.
Congrats to all of the winners and competitors at Malaysia’s first Lightspeed tournament!
RESULTS
Womens:
1st - Siti Khalimah
2nd - Airis Safiyyah
Mens:
1st- Stefan E Von Teichen
2nd - Tan Kang Yun
3rd - Hatri Asmawi/Ong Tian Reh