Synchronised swimmer Zylane Lee mines the SEA Games for gold

Lee has looked to national squash queen Datuk Nicol David for inspiration in excellence. Photo: Zylane Lee

It was like having the rug pulled from underneath her feet ... or being blindsighted and getting hit by a curve ball. Nothing could be more demoralising at that point in her career, but Malaysian Olympian synchronised swimmer Zylane Lee was dealt a crushing blow when partner Katrina Ann Hadi opted to retire from the sport suddenly.

“It was very demotivating when she retired without any notice. We were preparing for the Olympic qualifiers and my dreams just went down the drain in a split second. I only got the chance to work with her for a year ... at that time we were still getting used to each other’s approach,” shared Lee, recently.