KUALA LUMPUR: Ng Joe Ee, an overnight sensation with her double gold feat at the Commonwealth Games yesterday, is now touted as the next big thing in rhythmic gymnastics.
The debutante, who turns 16 in December, defied the odds and won the ball and ribbon events with her mesmerising performances that impressed the judges.
And the Malaysian Gymnastics Federation (MGF) declared that Joe Ee was their secret weapon in Birmingham.
MGF honorary secretary Afrita Ariany Nasril admitted that they protected Joe Ee from negativity and expectations as she was their secret weapon for the Games.
"I said from the beginning that gold medals could come from any of the trio — Koi Sie Yan or Izzah Amzan or Joe Ee," said Afrita.
"But Joe Ee showed she was mentally strong, and she controlled her emotions nicely to win the titles.
"In training, we advised her to forget about negativity and remain strong for the Games.
"However, we were careful as we did not want to put all the responsibility on her shoulders.
"We knew she had the potential, but we did not want to put any pressure before the Games.
"We threw her into the competition, hoping that she would shine. And we ended up with two gold instead of one, targetted by the contingent."
Afrita admitted that Joe Ee, who won a silver at the Hanoi Sea Games, felt uneasy in the absence of the team's Russian coaches, Yulia Ivanova and Lidia Legotina, in Birmingham.
Yulia and Lidia were not allowed entry due to restrictions imposed by the UK government on Russian nationals.
"In their absence, I was assigned to guide Joe Ee throughout the Games. In the end, she put everything behind her and graced the mat with confidence and great routines," said Afrita.
Afrita, however, hopes Afrita will not succumb to the pressure of expectations after the Games.
"Everyone is talking about Joe Ee's titles, but we hope she will continue to progress. She has done well in the Games, but it is not the end of the road. There is a lot more to achieve in the sport.
"I hope this Games will be a stepping stone for Joe Ee in her pursuit of excellence in the sport," Afrita added.
Joe Ee admitted she did not expect to win two gold on Saturday.
"I am happy because this is my first time here. And to win, I did not expect it. We targeted the all-around team title, but we didn't get it," said Joe Ee.
"It motivated me to do better on the final day. I wanted to work for it and put everything into practice during the competition. It's an amazing experience for me."
Performing to Rock It by Ofenbach with the ball, Joe Ee scored 29.700 points to claim victory by 0.650 ahead of Canada's Suzanna Shahbazian.
Accompanied by Soul Makossa (Money) by Yolanda Be Cool & Dcup, Joe Ee was last to perform in the ribbon event and marked the opportunity with a 27.800 performance to take first place.