Qualifying for the Olympics can be a long and difficult journey. Though, achieving that goal can be insanely rewarding.
So, as an athlete that has qualified for the Olympics, you would want your coach; who has always been there for you, to be there too, right?
Malaysian women’s singles shuttler Goh Jin Wei recently took to her Instagram page to share her disappointment over her coach, Nova Armada, not being able to go with her to the 2024 Paris Olympics because he was unable to get accreditation due to limited passes available.
She started off her post by sharing her struggles in training after a surgery. She wrote, “2 years ago, I decided to continue and play as a professional with a not-so-well body condition after a surgery and lots of uncertainty ahead of me. I pushed my body to the limit everyday and even an hour of training could knock me down easily.”
“During that time, only a few people stood with me and believed in my goal (you know who you are), thank you to my private sponsors and corporates. I told them my target is to qualify for the 2024 Olympics first. And my current coach, Nova, is one of them. Good news, I’ve qualified for the Olympics.”
Though, that good news was followed by a disappointing situation, Nova couldn’t go with her.
What makes this worse is that she may be the only Malaysian athlete going for the 2024 Paris Olympics without their coach present.
“Sad news, I couldn’t bring my coach along with me because of limited allocation of accreditation cards. I guess I’m the only athlete that will not have a coach sitting behind me. That will be very weird. I didn’t request for anything all this while and this is my first time voicing out, hoping my coach to be with me at the most prestigious event. Probably a once in a lifetime participation too.”
“I understand that there’s a priority or prospect but why am I the only getting left out (without a coach)? I will still give 200% during the games and fight for the country and the people who believed in me. I feel so sorry to my coach who has guided me every single day but can’t be there with me when it comes down to the final stages. Still, I’ll walk the walk,” she said.
It’s truly saddening to hear that Goh will be going for the 2024 Paris Olympics without her support system. We wish her the absolute best for the games.
You can check out her post here.
What would you do if you were in her shoes? Do feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section.
