With pressure comes maturity – and success

THERE are many types of athletes - those who are bold in setting their short or long-term targets and those who prefer them close to their hearts.

Then, there are the few who are unsure of what they really want - especially the first-timers.

Generally, though, they all have only one answer when asked about their aim going into a tournament - they want to win.

That was true of former doubles badminton world champion Aaron Chia, too.

“Kak, we are definitely not going there to lose,” he said.

True, no national athlete will go to a tournament wanting to lose, but they do know their shortcomings. Still, they set themselves targets - be they personal bests, national records or medals.

So, it’s rather baffling why the National Sports Council (NSC) have refused to set a specific target for the Asian Games-bound squad. They have just announced a 27-medal target, without specifying the colours.

The reason, it seems, was to deflect the pressure from the athletes to shine in Hangzhou from Sept 23-Oct 8.

Really? Aren’t our athletes strong enough to handle a gold medal target? I don’t think so.

Is it then a way to take the pressure off the officials instead?

Failure to meet gold medal targets in the past has seen several managers, directors, coaches and officials being axed, but not the athletes.

Then again, this could be a new approach. I, for one, have always been an advocate for change, but not for the sake of changing. I believe that unless we try something new, we will continue producing the same results.

Former Olympic champion swimmer Ian Thorpe has been crying out for a change too - he too has been against setting gold medal targets as it could be detrimental to the health of the athletes.

“I don’t think it’s beneficial when sporting organisations talk about how many gold medals we will win at competitions and if we can reach the highest number we’ve ever won,” he said.

“It puts an immense amount of pressure on athletes in matters that they have no control over.”

It is true that no gold medal is there for the taking - every one has to be valiantly fought for at the highest stage.

But setting a high standard can also push athletes to go faster, higher and stronger. That, after all, is the Olympic Games motto.

Malaysia, for instance, won seven gold medals at the last edition in Jakarta in 2018 and their best was nine golds at the 1966 Bangkok Games. We should always aim higher, and inspire athletes to defy the odds.

Gold targets can turn into motivation for athletes.

After all, didn’t we kickstart the Road to Gold, a programme planned by Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh - to aim for our first gold at the Paris Olympic Games next year and the next edition in Los Angeles?

Meeting the target is one thing, going all out for it is what matters. If they don’t win, at least they will know they tried their best.

Like my late dad used to say - it does not matter if you lose, so long as you lose in style.

Our athletes may win 27 medals or they may fall short.

They may win a couple of golds or they may not. They may even surpass the nine-gold mark.

All that is secondary. What matters is ensuring that our athletes are taught to handle the pressure. It’s something that will never go away and handling it will make our athletes more mature.

Personally, I have faith in our athletes - I think they are good for at least seven gold medals and a few silvers too.

Squash is our gold mine in Asiad and one can see the dedication of Ng Eain Yow and S. Sivasangari and Co to keep the good tradition going.

Cycling hero Azizulhasni Awang is aiming to ride into the sunset in his last Games by delivering two. He knows it will be tough against rivals from Japan and China but he thrives on that kind of pressure.

It will be hard to beat China’s badminton shuttlers at home but they are not unbeatable, and our players like Aaron-Soh Wooi Yik and Co can make life difficult for them when they are in their best condition.

Then, there is karate, shooting, sailing, archery and a few others that we can count on.

Nothing is handed on a silver platter – courageous athletes don’t hide behind targets, they face them head on.