GOOD MEDICINE
Dr Farrah believes the national gymnasts will win six Sea Games gold
THE Malaysian rhythmic gymnastic squad have set their sights on winning at least six gold medals at the Kuala Lumpur Sea Games in August. Team manager and former gymnast Dr Farrah-Hani Imran said the team are quietly hoping for a clean sweep (eight gold medals), but have set a modest target to avoid pressuring the athletes.
Farrah who attended a Kita Juara event in Bukit Jalil yesterday, believes the national gymnasts will come good at the biennial Games, especially after undergoing a one-month training stint with experts from Russia and Japan.
The experts, whose names were not disclosed, choreographed the routines for the team for the Games.
“We invited experts from Russia and Japan for a month in December but we cannot reveal their names for our own good good before the Games.
“They prepared the girls with very nice routines according to each gymnast’s personality, ability and strength.
“Our job now is to continue training with what they have left us with, and to compete in as many competitions before the Games,” said Farrah, who retired in 1994.
Farrah, now a head of plastic and reconstructive surgery at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), added that home soil advantage would also boost the team’s spirit in a huge way.
On which event the medals are expected to come from, Farrah said: “We don’t want to pressure our athletes by singling out any event. We just want our athletes to be prepared physically and mentally.
“Our Sea Games list is also not out yet and will only be finalised at the end of the month.”
The gymnasts are currently split into groups and have been registered to compete in a couple of tournaments including the World Challenge Cup in Spain, the International Team Challenge in Berlin and the Asian Championships in Kazakhstan.
At the previous Games in Singapore two years ago, Malaysia won two gold medals through Koi Sie Yan and N. Shasangari Sivaneswary when they emerged joint winners in the individual all-around, and one silver in the team event.