The Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) is confident that Malaysia is capable of winning more than 111 gold medals at the 2017 SEA Games, beating their own achievement in 2001.
OCM president, Tan Sri Tuanku Jaafar said the aim is a realistic one because the national contingent has proved their ability to pick up 111 gold medals prior to this and don’t see why they can repeat the feat in the next one.”
“We did it in 2001, I don’t see why we can do it again. For instance, in Singapore, our young athletes exceeded our expectations and did better than the previous edition.”
“As we are the host this time around, I’m very much hopeful of our performances,” he told Berita Harian.
As a record, in the 2001 edition, Malaysia team picked up 111 gold medals, 75 silver and 85 bronze medals. The 2015 edition saw Malaysia winning 62 gold, 58 silver and 66 bronze.
WHAT DO WE THINK?
111 gold medals is a big challenge, but it’s not impossible. After another strong showing in Singapore, the athletes will receive a boost of confidence performing in front of their home crowd this time. That should be another factor to push them in fulfilling the expectations. Having said that, 2001 was a long time ago and sometimes comparisons will only lead to more pressure. Our national athletes now include many young ones, and they might succumb to the pressure of beating the record set previously.
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