KUCHING: Perseverance certainly paid off for Sarawak wushu exponent Stephanie Ngu Chai Ern, who finally struck gold at the fourth time of asking when she won the women's changquan event at the 2024 Malaysia Games (SUKMA) here yesterday.
Fittingly, it also happened to be the first gold medal for the Land of the Hornbills at their home SUKMA 2024.
The success of the 20-year-old at the fourth attempt, which also marks her final SUKMA appearance, is a prime example of the fact that hard work does pay off and also her way of thanking her coach for having faith in her.
"I dedicate this gold to my coach (Sarawak coach Lau Hui Wei) because he has been training me since my first SUKMA outing when I was just 12.
"We both shared the same dream. We both wanted the gold medal. Previously, many who trained under him won gold but he never gave up on me," she told Bernama after the medal presentation ceremony at the SSC Wushu Hall here.
Stephanie was also ecstatic about becoming Sarawak's first gold medallist at this year's edition.
"I am extremely happy because I won the first gold medal for Sarawak and I think people will recognise me for that," she said.
Meanwhile, Hui Wei said Stephanie deserved to taste success after undergoing eight years of back-breaking training and facing various challenges.
He said Stephanie has shown vast improvement since winning two bronze medals in her debut in the 2016 edition here; a silver and a bronze in the 2018 Games in Perak; and two silvers and a bronze in the last edition in Kuala Lumpur.
"I'm happy for her. She has worked very hard… we often communicate because she is always looking for ways to up the ante.
"If she is roped into the national team, that would be a very good opportunity for her. Otherwise, we discussed the possibility of her becoming a coach," he said.
Yesterday, Stephanie emerged triumphant in the women's changquan final, with Johor's Lee Jia Rong taking silver and Melaka's Kelly Chin Sy Jie settling for bronze.
Stephanie will continue her medal quest when she competes in the women's jianshu final here today.
Wushu, a sport that combines elements of martial arts and movement aesthetics, began yesterday and offers a total of 28 gold medals throughout the three days of competition. --BERNAMA