The elusive Olympic gold

To be a champ you have to believe in yourself when no one else will.

– Sugar Ray Robinson, American boxer

When will Malaysia ever win an Olympic gold medal – the elusive first gold?

No one knows. However, if we are still depending on badminton to get the gold, I doubt we will be able to realise our dream anytime soon.

Another reality check – if we are still banking only on the men’s singles as our best bet for gold, we will be in for a tough ride come the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.

By then, national No 1 singles Lee Zii Jia will be 30. In an intense and heavily energised sport like badminton, it is tough to compete against the younger players when you are 30 and above.

All the top players of the past decade, China’s Lin Dan and Chen Long, Denmark’s Peter Gade, Indonesia’s Taufik Hidayat and Malaysia’s Datuk Lee Chong Wei saw their rankings stumble soon after they reached 30.

Honestly, I couldn’t help but sympathise with Chong Wei as he struggled through tournaments in his 30’s. He made a sensible decision to retire in 2019.

Perhaps there is a glimmer of hope if Ng Tze Yong and Leong Jun Hao, our national second and third singles players, step up to the plate in 2028.

As for the ladies’ singles department, it will take nothing short of “divine intervention” for Malaysia to win a medal of any colour. Sad but true.

In the run-up to the Paris Olympics, the Youth and Sports Ministry took the right step by initiating the Road to Gold (RTG) programmes for Malaysians selected for the Olympics.

The RTG plan has given Malaysia’s creme de la creme the additional support they need to achieve that long-awaited breakthrough – winning the nation’s first Olympic gold.

The government, which allocated RM20 million to the RTG programme early in the year, has done all it can, and it is just unfortunate that the Olympic gold still remains as elusive as ever.

However, 10 out of the 26 athletes competing in Paris who were under the RTG programme, launched early last year, had praised the plan, stating that RTG backing has been crucial in enhancing the team’s programme and optimising preparation.

Kudos to Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh for her diligence in seeing such an important programme through its fruition, even if it fell short of its target of winning the nation’s first Olympic gold.

Indeed, we want to believe that there is quality in this ‘small’ contingent to match the world’s best in Paris – only that our best was not good enough.

This is why I was quite sure of my assessment that it would be a tall order for Zii Jia to win the gold medal in the men’s singles event.

Several weeks before the Paris Olympics, I had declared in a chat group with my ex-schoolmates that it would be near impossible for Zii Jia to grab the elusive gold.

Zii Jia is currently ranked No 7 and on paper, there are six players who are adjudged to be better than our Malaysian No 1.

Not only that, I have always felt that Zii Jia is weak mentally. He has a tendency to give up fighting if he was trailing in a match, as evidenced again in his semi-final loss to Thailand’s Kunlavut Vitidsarn.

But good for Zii Jia to reach the semi-final. That was already a huge Olympic achievement for him, considering that he was eliminated in the Round of 16 in Tokyo 2021. His bronze medal victory over India’s Lakshya Sen should be a huge morale-booster

So far, Malaysia has won two bronze medals, the other one coming from our men’s doubles pair of Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik. If there is to be another medal, it should come from cyclist Azizulhasni Awang, who won a silver in Tokyo.

We miss our Sarawakian diving star, Dato Pandelela Rinong, who gave us a silver and a bronze in London 2012 and Rio de Janeiro in 2016. At 31, her competitive diving days are over but we remember her with pride and gratitude for her dedication to her sport and bringing glory to the country.

Let us say Syabas to all our Malaysian athletes who took part in the Paris Games. It is already a great achievement to be selected for the Olympics.

It must be noted that athletes must first qualify to compete in the Olympics, often through rigorous national and international competitions. The standards are extremely high, and only a select few make it.

The Olympics attract the best athletes from around the world, each at the peak of their abilities. Athletes must perform under intense scrutiny and high expectations from their country and themselves.

Malaysia will continue to chase after the elusive gold medal because winning it is one of the most challenging and prestigious achievements in the world of sports.

The views expressed here are those of the columnist and do not necessarily represent the views of Sarawak Tribune.