Thursday, August 16, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Former Champion Nurul Puts Artistry Back In Gymnasts
Just a few days ago, she passed her first test as the head coach of the women’s elite artistic team with flying colours when her charges, led by the diminutive Tracie Ang, swept four gold medals in the Singapore Open from June 15-17.
Besides Tracie, the other medal winners were the talented Tan Ing Yueh, Farah Ann Abdul Hadi and Nur Eli Ellina Abdul Hadi.
It was the artistic team’s first major success in two years as several of them had been plaqued with injuries since the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou.
Nurul, who in her reign as the queen of artistic gymnastics had won gold in the 2001, 2003, 2005 and 2007 SEA Games, took over the hot seat from Russia’s Mikhail Gutsalyuk in February and her first goal was to restore the confidence of her charges.
The team’s morale was low as there was dissatisfaction with Gutsalyuk’s training methods. Injuries were a problem and even resulted in top gymnasts like Cheong See Teng and Chan Sau Wah calling it quits.
What made the outing of Nurul’s squad special was that, in some events, her charges did even better than London Olympics-bound Lim Heem Wei of Singapore. None of the Malaysian gymnasts qualified for the Games.
The 26-year-old Nurul was overwhelmed with the positive start to her coaching career and paid tribute to her charges for defying the odds.
“For almost a year, none of our gymnasts were given the opportunity to compete in international tournaments as most of them were nursing some kind of injury. This time, they put up fine performances to show their potential,” said Nurul.
“We went with hope of winning two gold medals but they surpassed all expectations. They executed their routines with confidence and finesse. These gymnasts persevered and showed their strong desire to succeed. They deserve a big pat on their back for not giving up hope.”
Nurul, however, conceded that there were many challenges ahead.
“It was a good start and a good experience for the girls and me. But I can’t be satisfied with this achievement alone. We still have a long way to go. There are many areas that we need to improve,” she said.
The national team’s next assignment is the Asean Schools meet in Indonesia, beginning June 28, and Nurul is keeping her fingers crossed for some of her girls, who are eligible for the competition, to keep the momentum going.
The top performer in Singapore was Tracie, who won the individual all-around title and the uneven bars. Ing Yueh was equally outstanding as she contributed gold medals in the vault and floor exercise.
RESULTS
(Malaysians unless stated)
Individual all-around: 1. Tracie Ang 50.050, 2. Lim Heem Wei (Sin) 49.650, 3. Nur Eli Ellina Azmi 45.650.
Vault: 1. Tan Ing Yueh 12.85, 2. Nur Eli Ellina Azmi 12.10, 3. Rita Ariska (Ina) 10.98
Uneven bars: 1. Tracie Ang 12.6, 2. Farah Ann Abdul Hadi 11.5, 3. Lim Heem Wei (Sin) 10.15
Balance beam: 1, Lim Heem Wei (Sin) 13.40, 2. Tracie Ang 12.80, 3. Foo En Ning (Sin) 12.05
Floor Exercise: 1. Tan Ing Yueh 12.60, 2. Lim Heem Wei (Sin) 12.05, 3. Tracie Ang 11.10
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)