KUALA LUMPUR – While everyone is busy celebrating Christmas with their families and loved ones, national hockey player Shello Silverius sacrificed his celebration for the nation.
Hailing from Keningau, Sabah, the 24-year-old midfielder has been selected by head coach Arul Selvaraj to join the team camp in preparation for the Paris Olympics qualifiers.
Speaking to Scoop, Shello said that his ambitions and hunger to play in the Olympics have been his main priority for now.
“Of course, I miss being with my family at home (Sabah). Every year during Christmas, my family and I will always join the morning Mass and do services at the church, followed by a feast with our close ones.
“Christmas is a really important festival for me, as this is the only time of the year when I can be together with all my family members who gather in Keningau from various parts of Sabah.
“The older I get, the more mature I become, and I have set my priorities right. I want to play in the Olympics and to make that happen, I need to sacrifice all the other important things in my life to reach my goal.
“I can celebrate Christmas next year with my family, but for now, our team only has one last chance to make it to the Olympics, and I need to sacrifice everything that comes in my way to ensure I help my team achieve our target,” said Shello after his training session at the Bukit Jalil national hockey stadium.
Shello also said that he is currently enjoying the positive atmosphere in the team and is ready to educate the junior players who have been selected to be a part of the camp.
“I played a series of friendly matches in New Zealand, and I can say that my performance has improved a lot compared to how I played in the Hangzhou Asian Games.
“Coach Arul has been making me more versatile with his training sessions, and he’s currently testing me as an attacker. I’m loving it and coping well with it.
“In addition to that, my partnership with Fitri Saari in the midfield has been fantastic. I also hope to use my experience to teach many of the junior players who have joined the camp.
“The boys have the potential, and I hope that they can learn a lot from myself and the other seniors. The squad and I are in good shape, and we also have the experience of previously playing against the two big teams in our group.
As an experienced player, I can’t wait to lead this team to reach our goal,” Shello added.
Shello, who first made his debut for the Speedy Tigers in a friendly match against Ireland in 2021, has scored a total of 16 goals in 39 appearances.
Previously, Scoop reported that coach Arul will bring in eight players from the junior squad who recently participated in the FIH Men’s Junior World Cup to join the camp as backup players for the qualifiers, as several senior players were making their comeback from injuries.
Malaysia has not featured in the Olympics since Sydney in 2000.
Malaysia finished sixth in the Asian Games and missed a direct Olympic qualification slot after their 5-2 defeat to Pakistan.
Malaysia’s only hope now is the qualifiers, scheduled to take place from January 15 to 21 in Oman.
Coach Arul’s charges are grouped together with Great Britain, Pakistan, and China in Pool A.
The Speedy Tigers are currently ranked 12th in the world rankings with 1881.87 points. – December 25, 2023