More to be done
There’s room for improvement for Malaysia ahead of SEA Games
PETALING JAYA: The Malaysian artistic gymnasts feel they need to work further on their routines before the SEA Games in Manila.
At the Ukraine International Cup, the girls picked up one silver and two bronzes. The competition in Kiev, which is held from March 30-April 3, saw the trio of Farah Ann Abdul Hadi, Tan Ing Yueh and Rachel Yeoh Li Wen finishing third in the team event behind Ukraine and Turkey.
In the all-around event, Ing Yueh and Farah finished second and third respectively.
The event is the gymnasts’ first assignment of the year and they have vowed to get better before the Games in December.
Farah feels there are a few things they need to work on before the Games.
“For my first competition of the year, I did good,” she said.
“But there are a few things that needs to be worked on. Overall, I’m happy with my results and very proud of Ing Yueh for bringing home the silver and we also picked up a bronze in the team event.”
Coach Ng Shu Wai said there is room for improvement and is confident the girls will get better with more competitions.
“This is our first competition, so we are looking at the key performance indicator (KPI) for our gymnasts. For us, it was important to score points in each event and also see how we have done in the allaround competition.
“There were a lot of top gymnasts there but we managed to win some medals. The coaching staff will work with the girls to ensure their routines get better in future competitions.”
Ing Yueh said the Ukraine meet is important as they need as much competitive exposure as possible before the Games.
“I’m very proud of the team because we always help each other and our camaraderie has brought us a bronze medal in our very first competition.”
Malaysia Gymnastics Federation (MGF) president Rachel Lau said it was a good start from the girls.
“We have a great and formidable team for the SEA Games and we have high expectations that they will deliver in Manila.”