KUCHING: Although Ruth Brigettee Kremlin did not win any medal in kabbadi at the Asian Games in Guangzhou last week, she has done Sarawak proud by creating history for being the first woman player from the state to represent the country.
HISTORIC: Sarawak’s first national kabbadi player Ruth with her father Kremlin.
The 18-year-old Bidayuh lass from Kampung Mambong said it was a good experience for her in Guangzhou where she learnt more about the techniques of the game from stronger teams.
“We were up against Thailand, Chinese Taipei and Iran in Group A but lost all the three matches due to lack of experience and confidence. Moreover, Malaysia were making a debut appearance in kabaddi at the Games,” said Ruth.
The women’s kabbadi gold was won by India who beat Thailand while Bangladesh and Iran were the joint bronze medallist.
Ruth was one of the four boys and two girls from Sarawak called up by the National Sports Council for centralised training at Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur after Sukma XIII.
The other five players did not attend the centralised training due to work or study commitments and lack of funds.
Her father Kremlin Sua, 42, was a pillar of support for his daughter’s interest in the sport.
“I am very proud that Ruth was selected to represent Malaysia and I backed her financially in terms of air tickets, expenses while she was with the national team,” he said.
He added that even though Malaysia lost all the matches in Guangzhou, he was still proud of the national team as kabaddi is still a new game in the country, especially in Sarawak.
“I strongly believe that if there are enough sponsors who can support the development of kabbadi, it will become as popular as other games like football, badminton and hockey,” said Kremlin.
He personally felt that Sarawak could have more representatives in the national team if there were sponsors and more financial support from the state government.
Meanwhile. Sarawak Kabbadi Association Jacob Sebastian said he was also proud that Ruth was selected to play for the country at the Asian Games.
“She is one of the best players from Sarawak and this is the first time that a Sarawak girl has played in the Asian Games. It also shows that we are capable of producing national players and we do have a lot of potential players,” he said.
“I am not disappointed by Malaysia’s poor showing in Guangzhou and I aim to train hard and win a medal for the state one day, either at Sukma or national championship,” declared Ruth.
The fourth child in the family of six siblings also wants to become a coach in the future.
Her younger sisters Frankissa (17) and Apprillis (15) play softball and handball respectively while her brothers are Grandker (23), Blendenham (22) and Bryan-Jagger (21).
Ruth took up the game in 2008 when she was introduced to it by Abang Zulfilkar who was the teacher in-charge of kabbadi at SMT Sejingkat, here.
“I chose kabbadi because it is an unique game. It is a tough and physical game but it is more about strength and mental toughness,” said Ruth.
In the same year, Ruth was a member of the Sarawak team that finished third at the National Traditional Games in Perak.
She also represented Sarawak at Sukma XIII in Melaka in June this year but the state women’s team failed to progress to the advanced stages in the game that made its debut appearance at the Malaysia Games.
Ruth trained with the national squad for about five months in Bukit Jalil and was in Chennai, India during the Commonwealth Games as part of the team’s preparation for the Asian Games.
She was accepted by Politeknik Kuching on Monday to undergo a Diploma in Civil Engineering.