KUALA LUMPUR – With the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games wrapping up yesterday, attention quickly returns to the Road to Gold (RTG) programme and the performance of the athletes listed on it.
RTG coordinator Datuk Stuart Ramalingam previously said that the performance of the athletes under the programme will be evaluated every three months.
The last evaluation should have taken place in September, but the committee decided to use the Asiad to determine whether the athletes should be retained or dropped from the programme.
From the pool of RTG athletes, some did well to contribute towards Malaysia’s medal tally in Hangzhou.
Track cyclist Muhammad Shah Firdaus Sahrom, and divers Datuk Pandelela Rinong and Nur Dhabitah Sabri won bronze and silver.
Shah Firdaus took home two bronze medals in the keirin and sprint events, while Pandelela took home bronze in the 10m platform and partnered Nur Dhabitah in the synchronised 10m platform event for her second.
Dhabitah added silver to her account when she teamed up with Ng Yan Yee in the synchronised 3m springboard.
However, badminton could only add one medal to Malaysia’s tally when men’s doubles pair Aaron Chia-Soh Wooi Yik brought home a bronze.
Men’s singles players Lee Zii Jia and Ng Tze Yong, women’s doubles pair Pearly Tan-M Thinah, and mixed doubles pair Chen Tang Jie-Toh Ee Wei all put on good performances to make it to the quarterfinals but could not progress any further.
Mixed doubles pair Goh Soon Huat-Shevon Lai Jemie could only make it to the round of 16, and men’s doubles pair Ong Yew Sin-Teo Ee Yi could not get past the round of 32.
The men’s hockey squad was probably the worst offender, only managing a sixth-place finish after getting trashed by Pakistan 5-2.
They were recruited for the RTG programme prior to the Asian Games in order to qualify for the Paris Olympics next year by winning the Asian Games.
But they must now take a different route to reach Paris.
Then there is Datuk Azizulhasni Awang, who had to miss the Asiad due to injuries sustained in a high-speed training crash.
The reason for skipping the Games was to give him time to recover properly rather than to not aggravate the soft tissue damage caused by the crash.
Fortunately, the “Pocket Rocket Man” has excelled this year at the Asian Track Cycling Championships, winning two golds in the sprint and keirin events.
The country has some athletes who have demonstrated potential and should be considered for the RTG. A couple of them have already qualified for Paris.
Diver Bertrand Rhodict Lises secured his place in the Olympics at the World Aquatics Championships in Fukuoka, Japan, in July.
Sailor Nur Shazrin Mohamad Latif sealed her place in Paris after delivering Malaysia’s first gold in Hangzhou.
Karate exponent Muhammad Arif Afifuddin Ab Malik surprised everyone with gold in Hangzhou.
His determination to persevere through pain to win Malaysia’s final gold medal at the Asiad demonstrates that he has a strong desire to succeed.
After winning bronze at the world championships last month, weightlifter Aniq Kasdan is not far from qualifying for next summer’s games.
He is currently ranked ninth in the world and only needs to compete in three more qualifying tournaments to make the top ten and qualify for next year’s games.
Meanwhile, US-based track stars Muhammad Azeem Mohd Fahmi and Shereen Samson Vallabouy should be considered for inclusion in RTG, as they ended the country’s long medal drought at the Asian Games.
Azeem ended a 41-year wait for a medal in the men’s 100m with a stunning sprint for bronze, while Shereen ended a 17-year wait after also clinching bronze in the women’s 400m.
She also added another bronze by shattering the national record in the 4x100m with Azreen Nabila Alias, Nur Afrina Batrisyia, and Zaidatul Husniah Zulkilfli. – October 9, 2023