CHAMPION MENTALITY KEY TO OLYMPIC GOLD - FORMER OLYMPIANS

TAIPING, July 15 (Bernama) -- National athletes competing in the 2024 Paris Olympics must embody a champion's mentality to win gold.

Former Olympian Junaidah Aman, 69, said that it is not an easy task, but with sufficient training, all obstacles can be overcome by our national athletes.

“The sacrifice in terms of time and training has to surpass others. If we are at the same level, we cannot win.

“During my time, we focused on training, but we lacked adequate facilities, which prevented us from reaching the standard needed to compete for medals,” she said when met after attending a dinner with Taiping former athletes last night.

The former national track queen, who participated in the 400-metre event at the 1972 Munich Olympics, added that the support and facilities provided by various parties, including the government, should serve as a catalyst for the athletes to achieve success.

Another former Olympian, S. Sivaraman, 74, emphasised that development at the grassroots level is crucial for producing more world-class athletes in various sports.

“There is no secret ingredient; building strength in sports needs to start from the age of eight and above. The parties involved need to increase the number of competitions to unearth new talents.

“This approach is what China, India, and other big sports powers follow. If we adopt this method, I believe we can also succeed," said the former Kajang Prison officer who participated in the 4x400 metre relay at the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Malaysia will participate in the 2024 Paris Olympics from July 26 to Aug 11, with 23 athletes competing in badminton, swimming, shooting, cycling, golf, sailing, archery, and diving.

For the record, the national team has never brought home a gold medal from the tournament. The best achievement was in the 2016 Rio Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with four silver medals and one bronze.

-- BERNAMA