Inspired by the winning spirit

 

National Men’s badminton doubles pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, defeated one of their strongest rivals, Mohammad Ahsan-Hendra Setiawan of Indonesia in a grueling three-game battle on the court to clinch the nation’s first medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

 

Doubles pair, Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik
playing for the Bronze medal, Tokyo 2020

This Bronze medal was won on 31 July 2021 at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics that was delayed due to the global pandemic and officially declared opened on 23 July 2021.

 

The victory was sweet for this doubles pair who played under tremendous pressure, aware that a medal was within reach and they had to go all out for it.

 

The live telecasts of Olympic games were like a magnet that kept Malaysians – located worldwide – glued to their television sets and other devices to watch the blow-by-blow live action of our national athletes, as they were doing everything possible to achieve what they had been training hard for.

 

Sports certainly has a strange way of uniting people.

 

Bronze Medal winners, Tokyo 2020

From Johor Baru, Kuala Lumpur, Singapore to Melbourne, Perth, Sydney and UK, our family and friends were connected by live badminton as it happened in Tokyo, with the flow of comments and remarks exchanged to cheer and encourage the players on.

 

When our athletes were competing among the world’s best, the rakyat from every walk of life were united by our common tie as Malaysians as we cheered them on and wept with them while we watched the thrilling live-telecast competitions.

 

Ever since there was live telecasts on television, our family had been taking advantage of it to watch exciting matches by the Malaysian badminton team, especially when the players included members of our family.

 

The Malaysian flag being raised at Tokyo 2020

Back in the days of Black & White televisions and when technology was not as advanced, our viewing pleasure was often disrupted by poor transmissions or sudden power failures and disappointing interruptions.

 

As school-going children who lived with our grandparents, my sisters and I had the privilege to witness how our uncles and Aunty Sylvia were trained and equipped with the skills and mentality to become the nation’s foremost badminton champions.

 

In grandfather’s house we would read the sports section of the newspapers for announcements of any live telecast of games and the entire household would be gathered in front of the television at the appointed time.

 

1978 Magazine cover featured
Sylvia Ng on her Singles Gold
win at the Commonwealth Games
  

Grandfather or Ah Kong, four-time Johor state champion in 1935, 1936, 1937 and 1939, and who trained players who gained national and international achievements in badminton including the great Wong Peng Soon, was already advanced in age and had by then, physically recovered from two strokes.

 

[Wong Peng Soon went on to become the first Asian to win the All-England title in 1950 and continued with subsequent victories in 1951, 1952 and 1955.]

 

The excitement and tension in watching live telecasts was always tinged with added pressure because we were concerned that Ah Kong might suffer a heart attack from watching the thrilling games that often stretched to a nail-biting finish.

 

This was because there were reports about how the elderly and those with heart conditions suffered sudden seizures, sometimes with fatal consequences, and it was cause for concern because any upset in the game could result in another stroke for Ah Kong.

 

Lee Zii Jia receiving medical attention
on hand injury sustained during the game

Thankfully, nothing untoward happened to Ah Kong while we watched the badminton excitement in live telecasts.

 

I believe he was probably the proudest man on earth when his youngest daughter, Sylvia Ng, made history by becoming the first Asian woman to win the Commonwealth Games Women’s Singles Gold in Edmonton, Canada, on 12 August 1978, a record that remained unbroken to this day.

 

Fast-forward to Tokyo 2020 where the games were well organized and badminton courts were equipped with a number of linesmen as well as electronic devices to monitor, record and provide instant replays for players to check if the shuttlecock was In or Out of the court.

 

A jubilant expression by Aaron Chia 

Unlike the past when the human eye of linesmen was the final word, this electronic video replay provided a final conclusion with no room for any argument.

 

The live telecasts now came with excellent videography by experienced technicians who knew where to position their cameras at a variety of angles for the best side views, arial views and zoom-in views.

 

These modern telecasts also provided replays of long rallies, unique strokes and in particular, those questionable fluke shots where the shuttlecock tumbled over the top of the net, to let viewers see and be reassured of the reality of what truly happened.

 

Newspaper cutting from The Malay Mail 1977

Just as Ah Kong and our family used to watch the live telecasts while Aunty Sylvia was playing a match against a strong opponent, we cheered, screamed and clapped with the worldwide audience, and felt the adrenaline rush in the highs and lows of every game.

 

It was so easy to watch and pass comments while we watched the live telecasts from the comfort of home but it was clearly a world of difference for the players on the court.

 

Players in competitive sports are a special breed of people who deserve much respect for their commitment, training and sacrifice to excel in the sport of their choice.

 

A spontaneous expression of joy from the
Men's Doubles pair on their Bronze medal win
 

They are aware that if they wanted to enjoy the rainbow, they must be prepared to endure the rain. As we cheer and encourage them when they are winning, we must continue to support them when the are not.

 

Nobody would know what could happen during the game so physical fitness, stamina, skills, technique and the mindset of each player comes to the fore as they responded to their opponents and made instant decisions on the go.

 

All athletes who trained hard for the games, aimed to win. However, they may be prevented from winning when their opponents just performed better that day.

 

The Men's Doubles pair received their medals
and presented them to each other

Mixed-Doubles pair, Chan Peng Soon and Goh Liu Ying, did their best but it was not their time to win.

 

My mum wisely reasoned that, “Not everyday is a Sunday,” which simply means that while you are very good at your game, things may not go in your favour every day. 

 

Similarly, the vivid shots in modern-day telecasts must have troubled the family of national shuttler Lee Zii Jia when he played against China’s Chen Long. Then when Lee attempted to return a stroke, he suddenly fell awkwardly.

 

This, you will agree, was the downside of live telecasts where viewers, especially family and friends of the players, must also deal with witnessing any low points along with the high.

 

The Gold, Silver and Bronze winners
Men's Doubles pairs, Tokyo 2020

In the video replay, we saw that Lee broke his fall with his hand and wrist while still holding onto his racket and he also sustained injury to his ankle.

 

My mum, a mixed-doubles badminton player in her youth, who was watching the live matches with great interest, commented that Lee’s parents who witnessed this, must be feeling their son’s pain.

 

I agreed with mum and shared their pain. Malaysians placed much hope on Lee for doing well in this game. But the pressure on him was tremendous and while his valiant attempt was commendable, it was just not his day.

 

The victory by the Men’s Doubles pair of Chia and Soh was doubly sweet after they had raced around the court, returned stroke for stroke, recovered from mistakes and gunned towards the winning score with focus, perseverance and absolute determination.

 

A picture of concentration before her dive,
Well done, Nur Dhabitah Sabri

At their victory whoop, I believe Malaysia exploded with cheers (and tears of joy!) and watched with glee as the pair kicked up their heels and rolled on their backs with sheer relieve and joy from this well-earned win.

 

Their exhilaration at the win after such a hard fight reminded me of a similar outburst of expression, caught on camera and recorded by The Malay Mail newspaper in 1977 when Aunty Sylvia clinched the Singles Gold at the South East Asian Games. [Please check out the photo caption on the old newspaper cutting!]

 

Warm applause also goes out to Nur Dhabitah Sabri for her consistent performance that qualified her for the finals of the Women’s 3M Springboard Diving competition.

 

The scoreboard that listed Nur Dhabitah Sabri
in a credible Fourth place
among world-class divers
 

Her excellent dives placed her Fourth, just points below a Medal win with a most commendable overall performance among world-class divers.

 

The Tokyo 2020 experience will go down in history as the first time the games were delayed due to the global pandemic, where masks were mandatory and where medals were presented but picked up with the winners and put on by themselves.

 

Thank you, Team Malaysia, for working so hard in your attempt to lift the nation’s flag at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Well done, every one of you.

 

The valuable experience gained at this event would go a long way to shape and prepare you for the next challenge.

 

Press on. Your winning spirit is a shining inspiration to all Malaysians as we go through some of the darkest days in our nation’s history.

                                                                                                                                                                             Photo Credits: Screen grab shots captured from Astro Television.