KUALA LUMPUR: "I wish my late father (Ku Boon Euo) could see this today."
These were the tearful words of Sabah's Ku Yee Aleng as she stood on the podium, clutching her first gold medal at the Malaysia Games (Sukma) in Kuching.
It was a moment of triumph in the women's high jump, shadowed by the memory of the father she lost seven years ago.
Yee Aleng, 19, could hardly contain her emotions.
As she gazed out over the crowd at Sarawak Stadium, her thoughts drifted to the man who had once doubted her path in sports.
Her father had always believed that studies, not athletics, should be her focus.
"I cried because I remembered my father. He never supported me in pursuing sports. He wanted me to focus on my studies because I wasn't the brightest student.
"Even my UPSR (Primary School Achievement Test) results weren't great. But now that I've won this gold medal, it breaks my heart that I can't show him that I've succeeded in both sports and academics," said Yee Aleng.
Despite her father's reservations, Yee Aleng persisted.
The girl from the small town of Kunak not only thrived in sports but also excelled academically, earning a place at the Institute of Teacher Education (IPG) Gaya Campus in Sabah.
Her victory today was the culmination of years of perseverance and sacrifice.
In the final, Yee Aleng cleared 1.64m, outshining Penang's Melissa Choong, who also cleared the same height. However, Yee Aleng was declared the winner on countback.
Her second attempt at 1.64m secured her the title, edging out Melissa, who only managed it on her third attempt.
The bronze went to Sarawak's Sylvia Nawan SA, who cleared 1.54m.
"I'm overjoyed as this is my first Sukma, and I never thought I could win. Melissa is a formidable opponent, experienced and strong.
"I'm just a girl from a small district in Sabah, trained by my coach Zaid Abdul Razak back home. My previous personal best was only 1.61m, so to set a new PB here means everything to me," Yee Aleng added.
In the men's javelin, Federal Territories' Cheah Jei Wun claimed gold with a throw of 56.53m. Selangor's Tan Jing Yi settled for silver with 54.03m, while Johor's Noor Iman Norman took bronze with 53.36m.