KUALA LUMPUR – Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh hopes that more athletes in the Road to Gold (RTG) programme will boldly step up to set higher goals, namely winning gold medals at the Paris Olympic Games in July.
So far, only track cycling star Datuk Azizulhasni Awang has openly expressed his desire for a gold medal in Paris, despite being 36-years-old and having just recovered from heart disease.
Hannah echoed Azizul’s sentiments by stating that athletes enrolled in RTG were actually gold medal contenders at the Olympic Games, thereby attempting to end the nation’s 68-year wait to witness the glitter of gold at the world’s biggest sporting event.
“Indeed, Road to Gold sets a clear objective for all athletes involved in the programme, aiming to enhance Malaysia’s chances of securing gold medals at the Olympic Games.
“Azizul has already secured a silver medal in the previous edition, so it’s natural for athletes to have that drive. If the athlete doesn’t have that drive and doesn’t have that medal target, I should be worried.”
“It’s encouraging to see Azizul’s hunger for gold, and I never doubt his determination. I hope other athletes in the RTG programme share the same level of ambition as him,” Hannah said when met after officiating the Science in Service of Medals exhibition at Universiti Malaya here today.
For the record, Azizul, dubbed the “Pocket Rocketman,” won a bronze medal at Rio 2016, followed by silver at Tokyo 2020, and he hopes his fifth and final appearance at the Olympic Games will end with a gold medal.
For Hannah, there is no excuse for the national athletes in RTG to perform poorly in Paris as they have been provided with all the necessities.
RTG is an elite sports programme in the country as the enrolled athletes will not only receive an allowance of RM3,000 but will also be provided with all the necessary sports science assistance to help improve their performance when competing in Paris.
Among those in the programme besides Azizul are his teammate Shah Firdaus Sahrom, Aniq Kasdan (weightlifting) and a line-up of badminton players including men’s doubles Aaron Chia and Soh Wooi Yik, women’s doubles Pearly Tan and M. Thinaah, and mixed doubles Chen Tang Jie and Toh Ee Wei.
“All athletes in the RTG programme receive additional support services to increase their chances of winning gold.
“Our target remains the same, which is gold. However, I don’t want to write off other athletes who are not in the programme because, in sports, anything can happen.
“We’ve provided all the necessary top-up services, and I also encourage those going through the qualification process to give their best shot.
Most of the athletes understand that during competitions, unexpected circumstances can arise, such as facing injured opponents, providing a significant opportunity to achieve our goals. Therefore, I wish our athletes the best of luck,” she added. – May 2, 2024