Will Brazil 2016 be another missed opportunity for Malaysia?
Published on: Tuesday, August 14, 2012
LONDON: Malaysia wrapped up their London Olympics outing with a silver and a bronze from shuttler Datuk Lee Chong Wei and diver Pandelela Rinong anak Pamg respectively. The two medals raise Malaysia's overall tally in the Olympics so far to three silver and three bronze medals. Thirty athletes represented the country in seven disciplines - archery, badminton, cycling, aquatics, sailing, shooting and athletics in the London Olympics.
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The 2012 achievement equalled the Atlanta feat in 1996 when shuttlers Cheah Soon Kit/Yap Kim Hock took a silver in men's doubles while Rashid Sidek collected a bronze in men's singles. In the London Games, Chong Wei contributed a silver after losing 21-15, 10-21, 19-21 to his nemesis, Lin Dan of China while Pandelela Rinong created history by becoming the first athlete from outside badminton to win a medal when she clinched a bronze in the women's 10-meter platform diving event. The 19-year-old from Bau, Sarawak also became the first woman to win a medal for Malaysia in the Olympics. Pandelela, the flag bearer for the Malaysian contingent in the opening ceremony on July 27, also became the country's youngest medal contributor.
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As Malaysian were targeting medals from three sports, namely badminton, aquatics and cycling, cyclist Mohd Azizulhasni Awang failed to live up to expectations and will be returning home empty-handed. He, however, bettered his position in the sprint event from the eight spot in the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the seventh spot in London, and from the seventh spot the seventh spot in keirin final to the fifth spot.
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Credit should also be given to Khairul Anuar Mohamad (archery), Yu Peng Kean (fencing) and Heidi Gan (women's 10km marathon swimming) as they beat higher ranking athletes although they did make it to the final. Although expectant mother Nur Suryani Mohd stole the limelight as she competed in the women's 10m air rifled very close to the due date, she showed her grit and zeal in the event despite did not make the final. Although gold remain elusive for the Malaysian contingent, Chef-de-Mission Tun Ahmad Sarji said Malaysian athletes were in the frontiers of getting the gold and no longer at the periphery stage anymore. "It's a matter of time before we get it," he said. Still, aspirations are not enough. The Youth and Sports Ministry and the National Sports Council have to conduct a post-mortem on Malaysian athletes' achievements in preparations for international outings, culminating in the 2016 Olympics. If their records were anything to go by, Chong Wei and Pandelela's achievements were expected. However, cyclist Mohd Azizulhasni failed to deliver despite his training stint in Melbourne, prompting Malaysian National Cycling Federation Deputy President, Datuk Naim Mohamad to resign as track cycling development programme chairman. As the Youth and Sports Ministry has spent RM20 million for the 'Road to London 2012' project in the quest for the first Olympics gold, the authorities and the Olympic Council of Malaysia should be more selective when approving B category athletes who did not make the cut on merit for Olympics. For example, Noraseela Mohd Khalid (women's 400m hurdles) and Lee Hup Wei (men's high jump), who were chosen by the Malaysian Athletics Union (MAU) to fill the two quotas for Malaysia in athletics, gave dismal performances and clocked below their best personal best. Moreover, Noraseela did not perform well this season while Hup Wei was nursing his injury. So, why were they selected for the 2012 Games? Associations should be firm in choosing team managers. They should not be selected based on rotation basis and ended up being a passenger in the contingent. What if Chong Wei could not make it to the 2016 Rio De Janeiro Olympics? Malaysia might lose a medal hope unless a concerted effort is being carried out to produce new medal prospects. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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