Gymnast Wan Nin shines at world meet, good bet for gold at SEA Games

KUALA LUMPUR: Rhythmic gymnast Lee Wan Nin showed that she can dance her way to a gold medal at the SEA Games in Indonesia after achieving Malaysia’s best result in the World Championships in Mont­pel­lier, France, yesterday.

The 16-year-old Wan Nin finished 30th in a 130-gymnast field with a combined score of 76.000 points in the individual all-around qualifying event.

The top 24 gymnasts who made the all-around final are guaranteed of places in the London Olympics next year. Wan Nin, by virtue of being third in the reserve list, will get to go if three of the top-24 gymnasts pull out.

The good news, however, is that she did better than her closest rival from the South-East Asia region – Thailand’s Tharatip Sridee, who finished in 58th spot with 72.400 points.

Star in the making: Lee Wan Nin gave Malaysia their best ever finish in rhythmic gymnastics at the world meet in France.

Wan Nin was most impressive in two apparatus – hoop and clubs – and was rewarded with identical scores of 25.700. “I am disappointed with my ball routine as I know I could have performed better.

“This finally affected my ranking and I’ve lost my chance to feature in the Olympic Games,” said Wan Nin, who has vowed to train harder for the future competitions.

Malaysia’s Amy Kwan, however, was forced to pull out from the world meet due to a leg injury.

Amy, who won a gold medal in the hoop event at the Asia Pacific Alliance gymnastics championships in Melbourne in May, will have to make a quick recovery if she hopes to get back into shape for the SEA Games.

Malaysian Gymnastics Federation (MGF) secretary N. Shanmugarajah, who was pleased with Wan Nin’s breakthrough performance, expects more promising results from the youngster.

“She is still young but she still managed to overcome the jitters to finish 30th in her first world meet. This is the best result by our rhythmic gymnasts in a world meet series,” beamed Shanmugarajah.

Malaysia’s previous best performer was Elaine Koon, who finished 40th in the world meet in Moscow last year.

Elaine, who won a hoop gold medal at the last year’s Common­wealth Games in India, however, retired from the sport this year.

“Based on her progress in the sport, Wan Nin could have been a multiple medal winner at the SEA Games this year if only the host had not cut down on the number of events. Indonesia are only hosting the individual and team events in the rhythmic gymnastics in Palembang,” he said.

“We are not taking part in the team event because we are short of elite gymnasts. Wan Nin and Amy will take part in the individual all-around event. For now, Wan Nin certainly looks good to win the solitary medal for Malaysia in the rhythmic event.”

Shanmugarajah also credited Wan Nin and the other senior gymnasts’ improvement to the short training stint in St Petersburg, Russia, from Aug 9-30.

He said it also benefited the younger group.

Besides the two seniors, Malaysia had also sent a five-member junior team of Wong Poh Sam, Fatin Zakirah Jalany, Ooi Emma, S. Shasangari and Olivia Tai Qing Tong for exposure in Russia under the charge of national coach Elena Kholodova.

“The juniors returned home just before the world meet but they certainly gained valuable experience. This group of gymnasts are being groomed for the next Commonwealth Games in Scotland in 2014 and the Asian Games in South Korea in 2016,” said Shan­mugarajah.

Tracie’s Olympic Dream Comes To An End

KUALA LUMPUR: Top artistic gymnast Tracie Ang’s dream of qualifying for the London Olympic Games is over.

Women’s artistic coach Mikhail Gutsalyuk confirmed yesterday that he had dropped Tracie from the squad for the World Championships in Tokyo next month because of her ankle injury.

The world meet is the qualifying tournament for next year’s Olympic Games in London.

In Tracie’s absence, only Farah Ann Hadi is left to carry the torch for Malaysia in the world meet.

Tracie, who injured her ankle during the Asean Schools Games in Singapore in July, was dejected at missing the opportunity to compete in her first world meet.

On the mend: Gymnast Tracie Ang is recovering from an ankle injury and has been dropped from the World Championships squad.

“The cast on my ankle has been removed but I have not fully recovered. The world meet is next month and I am still not ready. It will take some time to get back my form,” said Tracie.

“I have been undergoing a rehabilitation programme and light intensity training since injuring my ankle. I have not competed in any warm-up tournaments because of this. My ankle still hurts when I do certain exercises.

“I am sad because I have really put in a lot of effort to be ready for the world meet since the start of the year. Injuries have really been a problem for me.”

The pint-sized lass, however, does not plan to give up the sport yet.

“I still believe I can do well if I am injury-free. I will try to hang on and make a comeback,” said Tracie, who is not the first gymnast under Gutsalyuk’s charge to have suffered from injuries.

Two others in the elite team – Noor Hasleen Fatihin Hasnan and Nur Ily Ilyana Azmi – are also carrying injuries.

Earlier this year, two top gymnasts – Cheong See Teng and Chan Sau Wah – quit the national team due to persistent shoulder and ankle injuries respectively.

With the national team in such a sorry state, it’s almost impossible for Malaysia to even hope for a medal at the SEA Games in Jakarta in November.

Gymnastics used to be one of the big medal contributors for Malaysia in the SEA Games.

Asked if Gutsalyuk’s coaching methods were too hard on the gymnasts, thus triggering the spate of injuries among the gymnasts since he took over the national team two years ago, Malaysian Gymnastics Federation (MGF) president Datuk Dr Zakaria Ahmad said he would wait for the coach’s report first.

“Coaches are responsible for the selection of athletes for tournaments and they know best the athletes’ conditions. Mikhail is a good coach and he has done well to raise the standard of our gymnasts,” said Zakaria.

“Gymnastics, especially artistic, is an injury-prone sport. The more we try to raise the level of difficulties, the more we risk the gymnasts getting injured. Anyway, I will look into Mikhail’s report on Tracie.”

Gymnast Tracie Vows To Overcome Injury Setback For SEA Games

PETALING JAYA: Top woman artistic gymnast Tracie Ang (pic) is down with an ankle injury but she is determined to quickly overcome the setback in a bid to make a strong impact at the Indonesia SEA Games in November. 

Tracie, who fractured her ankle during the Asean School Championships in Singapore last month, needs another two to four weeks to get back on her feet.

“It is unfortunate that I got injured during the floor exercise routine at the Asean school meet. Today, I removed the cast and the doctors assured me that I will be able to train full swing in two to four weeks,” said Tracie.

“I have never won a gold medal for the country in the SEA Games and I hope to achieve it. But first, I hope to recover quickly so that I can compete in the World Championships in Tokyo in October. I will not allow this injury to dampen my spirit,” she added.

Prior to Tracie’s injury, the Malaysian’s gymnastics elite programme had suffered a major setback following the premature exits of two women artistic gymnasts – Cheong See Teng and Chan Sau Wah.

See Teng and Sau Wah’s early retirements have diluted the depth in the women’s artistic team.

The Malaysian Gymnastics Federation (MGF) secretary N. Shanmugarajah confirmed See Teng and Sau Wah’s early retirements on medical grounds.

“There is nothing we could do. See Teng is carrying a shoulder injury and she will also have to go for surgery. Sau Wah is down with an ankle injury and she told us the pain is unbearable,” said Shanmugarajah.

“Their absences will certainly diminish our chance to have a golden harvest in the SEA Games. The others will have to step up if we harbour hopes of winning a few medals there.”

Sau Wah was Malaysia’s gold medallist at the 2007 Korat SEA Games while See Teng was touted to be the country’s top star following her domination in the Malaysia Games (Sukma) and National Championships for several years but injury had always prevented her from competing in major meets.

In the absence of See Teng and Sau Wah and a half-fit Tracie, the others currently in the women’s team are Farah Ann Hadi, Noor Hasleen Fatihin Hasnan and Nur Ily Ilyana Azmi.

The gymnasts are training under Russian coaches Natalia Sinkova and Mikhail Gutsalyuk.

The men’s team of Mohd Irwan Miskob, Mohd Akmal Hakim, Mohd Azlanshah Ismail, Lum Wan Foong, Hairi Zaid and Mohd Hamzahruddin Nordin are currently in China attending a training stint as part of their preparation for the World Championships and the SEA Games.

Wan Nin To Keep Malaysian Flag Flying In Rhythmic Gymnastics

KUALA LUMPUR: Teen gymnast Lee Wan Nin is only in her first senior year but she is ready to replace former international Elaine Koon in keeping the Malaysian flag flying high in rhythmic gymnastics.

The pint-sized 16-year-old has been named for the November SEA Games in Jakarta and the target is to win a gold medal. The other member in the team is lanky Amy Kwan.

Wan Nin, of Bukit Jalil Sports School (BJSS), has also been identified as one of the gymnasts capable of winning a ticket to the Olympic Games through the World Championships, which will be held in Paris in October.

The spotlight is now firmly trained on Wan Nin and Amy following Elaine’s early retirement.

Elaine, the country’s first gold medallist at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi last year, quit the sport due to some problems with her coach Elena Kholodova.

Many have failed to handle the pressure of sudden fame but not Wan Nin.

The bold and confident lass said that “challenges, be it big or small, are part and parcel of a gymnast’s life”.

“There were expectations when I was a junior and it is the same now that I am in the senior rank. I will just continue to work hard in training,” said Wan Nin.

“I represented Malaysia as a senior for the first time at the World Cup in Paris (in April). I finished 18th out of 51 competitors and it was a good experience for me. It showed me where I stood among the world class gymnasts.”

Wan Nin hopes that a training stint in St Petersburg, Russia, next month would help strengthen her preparation for the SEA Games and World Championships.

“I have been improving in every tournament but I know that I still have a lot to work to do if I want to do well in my debut at the SEA Games and World Championships. I hope to hone my skills during the training at St Petersburg,” she said.

“This time, only one gold medal in the individual all-around is contested in the rhythmic competition at SEA Games. Usually, there are six gold medals on offer.

“That’s why this year’s SEA Games could be tougher than the previous editions.”

Although she has a realistic chance of doing well in the SEA Games compared to the World Championships, Wan Nin is still ready to give a go at the world meet.

Only the top 15 in the world meet are assured of places at the London Olympic Games next year.

Wan Nin and Amy are bring groomed by Kholodova to strike gold medals at the next Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Scotland, in 2014.

Ten Questions with Farah Ann Abdul Hadi

Farah Ann Abdul Hadi is one of the Malaysian national teams’ most experienced and well-known gymnasts.  Known for her beautiful smile and elegant gymnastics, she shines on floor and beam.  Trained by Ukrainian coach Nataliya Sinkova, Farah Ann struggled to overcome a serious back injury to earn her place on the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games team, a dream opportunity for her.  Both she and her sister, Katrina Ann, who is a diver, competed at these Games.  With a strong team, and the help of Farah Ann, Malaysia placed fourth at these Games, a massive improvement from their eighth place finish at the 2006 Games.

Farah Ann answered the Couch Gymnast ten Questions this week;

What is your coach always having to remind you?

My coach is always reminding me too straighten my knee’s and point my toes during acro skills. Another thing that my coach reminds me is to watch my weight.  Hehe..=D

What is your proudest moment?

My proudest moment is competing at the Commonwealth Games in New Delhi. This is my proudest moment because it is the biggest competition that I have ever competed in and also because I got to represent my country and make my parents proud. Other than that, when my friends and family found out that I was competing everyone gave me words of encouragement and wished me luck.  They also watched me compete on TV.

What is your most embarrassing moment?

My most embarrassing moment was when I was younger and I was competing.  I was competing on the vault and I just landed.  I wanted to stick my landing so much that I didn’t want to move my feet- until the point that I lost my balance and touched the floor! In the end I got a lot of deductions! Other embarrassing moments are sometimes when I walk around the gym I sometimes trip over mats and fall!

What makes you angry?

Things that make me angry are when I train and I do a skill and I can’t get it right. So, I keep doing it over and over again but I still can’t get it right. Also,  people who betray me and talk about me behind my back is another thing that makes me angry.

What makes you laugh?

Many things make me laugh. During training when I do something silly or when I slip up or my teammates do something funny I usually crack up laughing.

Sometimes when my coaches mimic how we do a skill or tell us jokes it makes me laugh.

Spending time with my team mates is always a laugh when we hang out or go for competitions together we always end up laughing our heads off.

If you could have a superpower, what would it be?

If I could have a superpower it would be the ability to fly. It would be really cool to do any acro skills because I wouldn’t land on my butt..haha….

If you had a whole day off to do whatever you wanted to do, what would you do?

I would spend time with my family and  go to the beach and scuba dive, or go catch a movie with my friends and just hang out.

If you could have the career of any other gymnast, who would it be?

It would be Nastia Liukin because she is an Olympic winner and it is my dream to go to the Olympics.

What makes gymnastics different from other sports?

I think gymnastics is a much more challenging sport and you have to be very focused and brave. What other sport needs you to propel your self in the air and be graceful and strong?

Selangor Just Unbeatable (MSSM 2011)

SELANGOR once again showed their might as they not only retained the overall title with 778 points in the National Schools Age Group Artistic Gymnastics championships but also exacted sweet revenge over Penang to top the medal standings with 18 gold, 18 silver and 11 bronze at the end of the five-day meet in Kota Tinggi yesterday.
Penang topped the medal standings with a 8-3-5 tally last year, Malacca finished a surprise second with 7-5-8 while Selangor could only manage 6-10-4 to finish a disappointing third.

Penang were a pale shadow this year and plunged to 12th place out of the 13 teams with only one gold and two bronze to show for only 137 points.

But this time around, Selangor were simply unbeatable. Powered by national back-up gymnasts like Farah Ann Abdul Hadi and Nur Eli Ellina in the Girls' Under-18 and Daniel Richard Iskandar in the Boys' Under-18 and Choo Choo Yinn Haur in the Boys' Under-15, Selangor reigned supreme.
Farah Ann was also crowned as the Girls' Under-18 overall individual champion while Daniel walked away with the Boys' Under-18 individual title. Choo Yinn Haur made it a treble for Selangor by winning the Boys' Under-15 title.

Sarawak girls contributed hugely to the East Malaysian state's fifth overall finish with 295 points and a medal tally of 8-4-5.

Sarawak's Bulgarian coach Bogomil Momchilov said: "It is a huge step forward for Sarawak gymnastics. We put in a lot of hardwork and this is reflected in the results. I am happy with the outcome."

Sarawak had two girls' individual overall champions. Esmelda Arecia Alfred with 48.250 points came out tops in the Under-12 category while Nasha Amira Baktiar (45.100) reigned supreme in the Under-15.

Selangor coach Mohd Nurul Zaiman was more than pleased with his team's overwhelming success.

"We were determined to retain the overall title, which we did in style. And we completed out mission of wresting the top place in medal standings," he said.

Sabah's Brandon Denoly spoilt Selangor's party by taking the overall individual title in the Boys' Under-12 category.


Read more: Selangor just unbeatable http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/68rizfinale/Article#ixzz1H7NkdeHX

Moscow Grand Prix

25 - 27 February 2011

Moscow  

Athletes:

Senior

1.  Amy Kwan Dict Weng - 7th Place ( 93,800pts)

Qualification

2.  Lee Wan Nin - 33rd Place (95,200pts)

Junior

3.  Fatin Zakirah Jalany bt Zain Jalany 
     Hoop - 10th Place ( 22,300pts)
     Ball - 16th Place ( 20,700pts)
     Clubs - 11th Place ( 21,750 pts)
     Ribbon - 10th Place ( 21,600pts)