PETALING JAYA: Edmund Yeo had to wait 24 years to fulfil his dream of winning a Commonwealth Games gold medal, this time as a coach.
The Sarawak-born coach guided Malaysia to not just one but five gold medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games, surpassing the Malaysian Weightlifting Federation's (MWF) target of three.
Edmund said his lifters' success had made up for the disappointment of winning only two bronze medals at the 2002 Manchester Commonwealth Games, which was also his final appearance at the Games in the men's 105kg category.
"I made my Commonwealth Games debut at the 1998 Kuala Lumpur edition but didn't win a medal. Four years later in Manchester, I couldn't perform at my best because I suffered a meniscus tear.
"So after more than two decades, it is very satisfying to finally achieve that gold medal dream, even though it came as a coach.
"I'm incredibly proud of what all my lifters have accomplished," said Edmund.
Edmund and the national weightlifting squad arrived at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) on Saturday after an impressive campaign in Glasgow.
Besides the five gold medals won by Syahmi Nor Ghazali (94kg), Erry Hidayat (79kg), Aniq Kasdan (60kg), Aznil Bidin (65kg) and Hafizuddin Roslin (88kg), Siti Aqilah Farhana Draman also made history by becoming the first Malaysian woman to win a Commonwealth Games silver medal in weightlifting after finishing second in the women's 86kg event.
Irene Jane Henry also brought home a bronze medal in the women's 48kg category.
Edmund revealed that the coaching team had believed five gold medals were possible after thoroughly studying the performances of their rivals before the Games.
However, MWF opted to set a more modest target of three gold medals for the National Sports Council (NSC) to avoid putting too much pressure on the athletes.
"You could say that was part of the reason (to avoid putting too much pressure on the athletes), but we also wanted to be realistic while aiming for more," said Edmund.
"To be honest, there is no secret to our success.
"The coaching staff and I stayed close to the athletes and constantly monitored their condition.
"Recovery was equally important because we couldn't simply push them through training without knowing how their bodies were coping," he added.
The weightlifting team can certainly hold their heads high after emerging as Malaysia's biggest gold medal contributors, especially with several of the country's traditional gold medal sports not featured in Glasgow.
