We are strong
Chef de mission Marina rallies athletes for SEA Games glory
PETALING JAYA: Malaysia, having witnessed the birth of another world champion, are set to march into the Kuala Lumpur SEA Games with arguably the strongest contingent in the history.
No wonder chef de mission Datuk Marina Chin is in buoyant mood ahead of the KL Games, which will be held from Aug 19-31.
Cheong Jun Hoong’s surprise victory in the women’s 10m platform individual at the World Championships in Budapest, Hungary, on Wednesday has seen her become only the second Malaysian world champion in an Olympic sports.
Track cyclist Azizulhasni Awang is Malaysia’s first world champion following his keirin triumph at the world meet in Hong Kong in April.
Malaysia do have two more world champions in para athletes Ziyad Zolkefli and Abdul Latif Romly.
The duo triumphed within a space of 12 hours at the World Para Athletics Championships in London last weekend.
Ziyad broke his own world record en route to winning the men’s shot putt F20 (learning disability) on Saturday. Then, Abdul Latif retained his men’s long jump T20 (learning disability) crown on Sunday.
Ziyad broke his own world record of 16.84m set in Rio last year after hurling 17.29m to reclaim the title he last won in the 2013 edition in Lyon, France.
Abdul Latif leapt 7.37m to better his own championship mark of 7.35m, which he set en route to the gold in the 2015 edition in Doha, Qata
Their achievement certainly bodes well for the Asean Para Games which Malaysia will host in September.
For now, it’s the SEA Games that concerns Marina and she has called on all the athletes to draw inspiration from Jun Hoong’s feat.
“I’m very proud that another Malaysian has become a world champion,” Marina said after attending the launch of the #BersatuKitaTeguh (We Are Stronger Together) campaign for the KL Games.
“I believe that Jun Hoong’s win will serve a big inspiration not only to the diving team, but also to the other members of the SEA Games contingent.
“If Jun Hoong can do it, so can they. It’s definitely a good sign. All these positive buildup will give us a good indication as to how we expect to fare at the KL Games next month.”
The campaign aims to united the nation and bring Malaysians together to rally behind the country’s athletes bound for the SEA Games and Para Asean Games.