Solid: Esther took part at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) for Selangor.- KAMARUL ARIFFIN/TheStar
BANGKOK: It may be a journey that started by accident but it could turn out to be the most rewarding yet for Esther Joy Chen's career as an athlete.
From gymnastics and wushu to running and now triathlon, Esther has been through it all.
It is triathlon that she is finding her niche and has become one of the rising stars of the sport back in Malaysia.
Fresh off her win at the national championships in Putrajaya recently, Esther is hopeful of making a good impression in her second SEA Games campaign in Rayong this weekend.
The triathlon discipline comprise of a 1.5km swim, 40km bike and 10m run.
She made her debut at the Vietnam SEA Games three years ago but that was just six months into competitive triathlon. Esther finished sixth in the team triathlon event in Vietnam.
"Experience wise, I have gained more compared to my first SEA Games in Hanoi.
"My original focus was duathlon, but since there’s no individual event this year, I had to shift my attention to triathlon. If my swim gets up to standard, I believe a podium finish is possible," said the 22-year-old.
Esther brings an unlikely background to the sport.
"I actually come from wushu," she revealed.
"I was in the national team for nanquan discipline for a half years before Covid-19 struck.
"I lost interest after a while as we could not train and there wasn't any competition.
"I eventually picked up triathlon after that. Interestingly, I never cycled before triathlon but the leg strength from wushu helped a lot, especially on the bike. Power was not the issue, it was just learning the skills for me.
"I also had some gymnastic background. My background in other sports certainly helped me get a head start when I first joined triathlon," said Esther.
For Esther, running is certainly her strongest area. Not surprising as she was roped in by Selangor for their Malaysia Games (Sukma) athletics campaign in Sarawak last year.
Esther repaid Selangor by delivering three gold medals in the women's 5,000m, 1000m and 3,000m steeplechase in Sarawak.
Her mission is also not just to be on the podium but also to inspire more people to pick up the sport and be a good role model for the younger generation.
"It makes me happy to be able to grow both the triathlon and running community in Malaysia," said Esther, whose triathlon idol is Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medallist and four-time world champion Flora Duffy of Bermuda.
