The target is close, but failing is not the end

THE target was 40 gold medals at the SEA Games in Cambodia. But can we achieve it?

As of late last night, Malaysia had 28 gold medals, which means 12 are needed for the target, with only a few events where our athletes can be considered favourites.

Will those involved – the athletes and officials – now be taken to the “killing fields” if they fail to meet the target?

Two have already fallen – Michelle Chai, the chief executive officer of Academy Badminton Malaysia and the high performance director Dr Tim Jones - for the women shuttlers’ defeat to the Philippines in the team badminton quarter-finals on Monday.

Losing to the Philippines is hard to swallow for Malaysia, one of the top five badminton powerhouses in the world.

Having covered this sport for over two decades, I have seen our players beating them with a duck. A defeat is really an egg on the face.

However, resigning for losing at the SEA Games level is a little perplexing.

The Games, after all, was supposed to be a battleground for youngsters so that they could be toughened up for the future.

Some of these girls were just out of the Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS); one was nursing an injury and another recovering from illness.

It would have been really upsetting if national No. 1 Ng Tze Yong loses to a top Filipino at the SEA Games. That would have justified a call for heads to roll.

It happened in 2000 when the then BAM president and secretary resigned after Malaysia failed to clear the group stage in the Thomas Cup Finals at home! That was justifiable.

But that kind of pressure need not be seen at SEA Games level.

It’s quite unfair, really. Athletes are pressured to perform. Officials are pressured to deliver. Yet, some who sit there and do literally nothing, get away with murder.

Of course, pressure is good. It can bring the best out of an athlete and many thrive on it. But I strongly feel that it’s not a case of one size fitting all.

Every defeat needs to be analysed and dissected with many factors taken into consideration.

Some do have lame excuses but there are also genuine reasons for a defeat or failure.

Back to the question of the 40-gold target. Can we pull it off with the curtain coming down on the Cambodia Games in just five days?

I would like to believe so. There are a few more sports that can deliver the golds.

We can bank on taekwondo, road cycling (women), individual badminton and table tennis, judo, fencing and snooker to deliver the number we need to meet the target.

Who knows, there could be some surprises too.

Many youngsters have really stepped up at this Games. Kudos to the 15-year-olds Ng Jing Xuen (golf), Lee Yiat Qing (diving) and the 20-year-old Umar Osman (athletics).

There have been heart-warming performances too even when there was no golden glitter. The way the national paddlers cried after losing to Thailand in the final shows how badly they wanted the win after the hard work they put in over the years.

Some years ago, a defeat would have been routine. The reaction this time shows we are making progress.

My message is: Go, athletes – keep fighting and kill it on the field.

To those who make it, well done. To those who fail, try harder. It’s not the end of the world.