KUCHING: Sarawak State Sports Council (MSNS) gymnastics coordinator, Dedia Sarini Ahmad, is keeping her fingers crossed for Esmelda Arecia Geling to get a national call up soon.
“We will have to wait after the games is over…Esmelda is only 13 but she has all the potential to go far,” she told The Borneo Post through a telephone interview yesterday.
According to her, the SMK Batu Lintang student’s outstanding achievement was unexpected because she was among the youngest and not the tournament favourite.
“She was up against those who are either in the national or back up squad…Farah and Tan are both in the national squad while Esmelda is not,” Dedia said.
This is the second time that Esmelda is competing in Sukma.
She started in the sport at the age of eight.
The most recent competition she took part in was the Malaysia Schools Sports Council (MSSM) artistic gymnastics championships in June at Dewan Gimnastik, Shah Alam.
Then she took three gold medals in the Under-15 vault, uneven bars and floor exercise.