Andrew, Chen Jie Hail Coaches, State Sports Council Programmes For Success 

By Farah Najihah Zuraimi and Nursyabiha Sukri

KUCHING, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- The crowning of swimmer Andrew Goh and shooter Gan Chen Jie as the 2024 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) Sportsman and Sportswoman is the result of the effectiveness of the State Sports Council (SSC) programmes and the hard work of their coaches.

Andrew viewed the award as a recognition of the Selangor government’s support through the state sports council, which has been instrumental in his development over the past eight years.

For SUKMA 2024, the 20-year-old ended the competition in the Land of the Hornbills with five gold medals, two new national records and two Games records, thus fueling his ambition to scale greater heights in higher-ranked championships.

“I am proud and indebted to the state government and coaches who guided me to success. I will continue to strive harder.

“I am also proud of what I’ve done and grateful to my teammates for supporting me. I’m now setting my sights on bigger and better achievements at the SEA Games and Olympic levels,” he told Bernama

Reflecting on his journey as a national swimmer, Andrew said his parents sent him to swimming classes when he was four to help him overcome asthma.

Now asthma-free, he hopes the Selangor swimming team can maintain their dominance when the state hosts the 2026 edition of SUKMA.

“I hope the Selangor swimmers can continue to dominate. We have improved significantly from the previous SUKMA, winning more (SUKMA 2024) gold medals. I believe we will have an advantage on home ground for SUKMA 2026 and I’m confident we will be successful,” said Andrew, who made his final SUKMA appearance in Sarawak. 

Meanwhile, Chen Jie acknowledged the crucial role her coaches played in helping her overcome her weaknesses, leading to her triumph as SUKMA 2024 Sportswoman at the biennial Games. 

“I view this accolade as an encouragement to make all Malaysians, especially people of my state (Negeri Sembilan), prouder by winning titles at the international level. I want to qualify for the Olympics but it will require hard work from everyone.

“I’m the youngest of three siblings and I want to follow in the footsteps of my sister, who competed in the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur (in synchronised swimming),” she said.

Chen Jie was a dominant force at the Sarawak Shooting Range, gunning down seven gold medals in the 10-metre (m) Air Rifle individual and team events; 50m Rifle 3 Positions individual and team events; 50m Rifle Prone individual and team evens; and 10m Air Rifle mixed event.

Chen Jie beat off stiff competition to win the Sportswoman award, namely Sarawak swimmer Kelly Teo Yao (six golds, one silver, two bronzes); Federal Territories gymnast Cassidy Tan Jia Xin (four golds, one silver); and Selangor sprinter Nur Afrina Batrisyia Mohamad Rizal (three golds, one bronze).

-- BERNAMA