Julian wants to be model figure for Malaysians at Pyeongchang
KUALA LUMPUR: One can’t help feeling proud to be the nation’s flag-bearer at a major event. Malaysia’s figure skater Julian Yee is no exception.
But a sense of pride alone won’t do for Julian. He wants to justify his flag-bearer status with a memorable outing at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in South Korea from Feb 9-25.
The Canada-based Julian and alpine skier Jeffrey Webb will be Malaysia’s first-ever participants in the Winter Olympics.
Julian said the honour of carrying the Jalur Gemilang during the opening ceremony was the best motivation for his debut.
“This will be one of the best moments in my life. This Olympics is a chance for me to showcase the participation of a non-winter country like Malaysia to the whole world,” said Julian, at a flag-handing ceremony at a hotel here yesterday.
The 20-year-old qualified for the men’s figure skating event after finishing among the top six at the CS Nebelhorn Trophy in Germany in September last year.
“There’s some pressure. It’s not from others but from within. I’ll learn to manage it. I know what I’m there to do. I’m motivated.
“My target is to enter the free skate rounds but as long as I do my best, I’ll have no regrets.”
Julian, who has been training in Canada since 2016 under German coach Michael Hopfes, said he hoped more Malaysians would qualify for future Winter Olympics.
“We’ll have a bigger contingent if everyone has the right mindset and motivation. It’s not impossible to have more Malaysians qualifying if we keep pushing hard for it,” he said.
Hopfes hopes Julian will deliver a winning performance during his event on Feb 16.
“It’s all about perfecting the art of performance on competition day. I hope Julian will translate all the hard work into a good show. The performances of others will matter too but we hope a little luck will be on our side,” said Hopfes.
Julian will leave for Pyeongchang tomorrow while Jeffrey will head for South Korea from the United States.