KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysia’s dancesport athletes are targeting two bronze medals at the ongoing SEA Games in Hanoi.
During a courtesy visit with Malaysian DanceSport Federation (MYDF) deputy president John Fam and Klang MP Charles Santiago, Standard Dance team coach Anthony Chua said that their targets need to be realistic, and bronze medals are feasible for the athletes.
“I understand that having too high of an expectation would do more harm than good.
“I hope that they can bring back at least two bronze medals. One for the Latin-American category and another for the standard category,” he said.
Malaysia did not win any medals in the event in the 2019 SEA Games in the Philippines.
“In 2019, Philippines won 10 gold medals out of the 12 total events there are for dancesport. Vietnam won the other two.
“Training sessions have been good. We train eight hours a day and there are a lot of improvements,” he told The Vibes.
Meanwhile, Maggie Sau, who is the national coach for the Latin-American category, does not want to put pressure on her dancers as this will be their first international competition.
“They are already nervous, so we don’t want to burden them with high expectations,” she said.
Speaking to The Vibes, Maggie said that other countries have better dancers, but Malaysia’s strategy is to take advantage of other dancers’ weaknesses.
At the same time, John said that he is looking forward to the performances of the Malaysian dancers in Hanoi.
“They will be carrying the Malaysian flag and I want them to do their best in their respective events.
“Malaysians will be looking at them and hoping for the best and other countries will also be keeping an eye on them as well.
“We need to show everyone that Malaysia is not to be taken lightly in any sports, especially on the dance floor,” he said.
“I also want them to enjoy the camaraderie with all the other athletes from different countries. They are competitors, but at the same, they are also friends,” he added.
Carmen Chong, who will be participating in the Latin-American category, said that she has mixed feelings competing in Hanoi.
“I feel excited and nervous at the same time.
“Although we have been to the Asian Indoor Games in Turkmenistan, the nervous feeling will always follow when I participate in any competition.
“However, we’re looking forward to the SEA Games and we will do our best to bring back medals,” she said.
The dancers will be competing in the events scheduled to take place on May 15 (Sunday) and 16 (Monday). – The Vibes, May 13, 2022
