CHEONG Jun Hoong’s victory in the women’s 10m platform individual final at the World Aquatics Championship in Budapest, Hungary, is landmark achievement in the annals of diving in Malaysia.
No other divers – men or women – in the country have ever won a gold medal in the event before. She is the first. And we join fellow Malaysians in congratulating her on her history-making feat.
Diving has never really been Malaysia’s forte. So hopefully, Jun Hoong taking home the gold will spur more young and aspiring divers in the country to train hard and emulate her ‘golden’ performance.
In fact, Malaysia started to gain prominence on the regional and world diving stage only recently through the creditable performances of our present batch of divers in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, the Asian Games, the Commonwealth Games and the Olympic Games. The determination and dedication they showed in training and the meritorious results they produced have taken the country to the forefront of world diving.
Winning medals in sports has never been the effort of one person. As bystanders, we are generally concerned only about whether our athletes have won any medals and if so, who are the medallists. And, of course, unless you are really interested, you are not likely to delve deeper into the story behind the success of the medal winners.
Like all successful sports teams, our diving team also has the guidance of top coaches. These coaches are from China who came to Malaysia some years ago to groom the divers, and Jun Hoong – for that matter, Pendalela Rinong as well – are the results of their astute coaching.
Sports has always been about achieving glory. But it can be both glorious and gruelling. Few know the struggles athletes go through just to step into the competition arena.
Training is, of course, important but so is cooperation – whether it’s among players, between coaches and players or sports authorities and sports associations. Indeed, proper equipment and facilities and above all, a conducive environment are vital for turning out successful sportsmen and women.
Although all professional athletes carry the scars of injuries, most will continue to train to improve their performances. Their journey is never easy. So many have been travelling their whole life on this journey which seems to have no end. But if and when the end does come, it’s usually a case of the athletes deciding to switch to a different path.
In sports, self-discipline is certainly important. At first, the athletes might force themselves to train but eventually, it becomes habitual and second nature. I believe in this saying – each of us has 24 hours a day and where we spend these hours can be seen through the results produced. For instance, when successful athletes hold their medals in their raised hands, it’s not hard to conclude where they have spent most of their 24 hours.
Lee Chong Wei’s achievements in world badminton is the consequence of the copious hours he puts into training. As the old Chinese saying goes, ten minutes on stage is the result of ten years off stage. When our athletes finally won medals, we could always cheer for them but do we really understand and appreciate the hardships they have gone through to attain their goals?
From the first moment an athlete starts training to the moment he or she stands on podium, the journey has definitely been tough. But the results they achieved are often edifying – to themselves, their parents, their coaches and the country.
I believe many of us are extremely proud of the successes achieved by our athletes at the highest level of international competition such as Hun Hoong, Chong Wei and ‘Pocket Rocketman’ Mohd Azizulhasni Awang, the first Malaysian cyclist to win a medal at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships and at the Summer Olympics.
Hopefully, their feats will inspire our young sports potentials to follow in their footsteps.