BANGI: Sometimes, all it takes is a coach who believes you can do more than you think you can.
That belief from national coach Ng Shu Wai pushed Selangor’s Cadence Teh Zi Qi to a golden double in the women’s artistic gymnastics competition at Dewan Canselor Tun Abdul Razak, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) on Friday (Aug 16).
The 17-year-old amassed 48.550 points to defend her individual all-around title before leading Selangor to the team gold.
Cadence combined with Nicole Wong Ziyi, Airisha Zuraidi, Wong Zi Qi, Leong Yee Shean and Haifa Izzazi Mohd Faizul for a total of 169.300 points.
She credited Shu Wai for getting her back on track after a disappointing performance on the uneven bars.
"I would like to thank my coach (Shu Wai) for helping me get all my routines right and pushing me when I didn’t think I could do it.
"In the end, I learned that I can do it."
The 2024 champion admitted nerves got the better of her early on, causing a fall on the uneven bars, before she steadied herself.
"I started on bars. It wasn’t a great start, but then after that it got better. Beam was a lot better and it was quite a good score.
"Floor was normal as I expected, and vault, I decreased my difficulty too," she said.
She scored 12.050 on vault, 11.400 on uneven bars, 13.350 on balance beam and 11.750 on floor exercise.
Sarawak’s Audi Zulkarnaen settled for silver with 44.500, while Federal Territories’ Annabelle Ho Sym Vee and Penang’s Amanda Cheng Lee Wern shared bronze with identical scores of 42.250.
Cadence said that being kept waiting outside the hall before her opening apparatus had cost her.
"I wasn’t doing well on bars because I was a bit nervous. I don’t do well when I’m cold. Before bars, we were standing outside for a bit too long," she said.
"Going forward, I need to just focus on my routine and not be too nervous," she said.
Cadence will be out to add more when she compete in three finals – high bar, balance beam and floor exercise but expects a stiff challenge from national teammate Yap Kang Xian of Perak.
"She has a higher difficulty on the floor, so I just hope to enjoy," she said.
RESULTS
Women
Individual all-around: Cadence Teh Zi Qi (Sel) 48.550, 2. Audi Zulkarnaen (Swk) 44.500, 3. Annabelle Ho Sym Vee (FT), Amanda Cheng Lee Wern (Pen) 42.250.
Team: 1. Selangor (Cadence, Nicole Wong Ziyi, Airisha Zuraidi, Wong Zi Qi, Leong Yee Shean and Haifa Izzazi Mohd Faizul) 169.300, 2. Federal Territories (Annabelle Ho Sym Vee, Hanabi Mizuguchi, Leia Jasmine Shahrin, Marissa Zaiful Azian, Nur Tashalina Nadzreena Mohd Shaharuddin and Choi Jia Jia) 166.300, 3. Johor (Tia Gabrielle Lim Ming En, Nikki Chooi Yan Xin, Nikki, Qasih Quezsha Zandra Abd Manan, Michelle Lee Qian Hui, Chong Yee Shuen and Qasih Querra Zandria Abd Manan) 157.000.
