Meet the Malaysian Olympians With The Highest Chance at a Gold Medal
We've not won a single gold medal at the Olympics – ever. We came close in 2008 and 2012 with Datuk Lee Chong Wei, but we lost to a tattooed break dancing shuttler from China both times. The nation rallied behind Datuk Lee who was distraught at the loss but maybe third time's the charm?
According to the front page of The Star Newspaper, the events that we're most likely to see a gold in are Archery, Badminton, Cycling and Diving. Let's take a look at the games and the athletes competing in them:
Archery
Khairul has competed in the 2011 FITA Archery World Cup, the 2011 Asian Archery Championships, and the 2012 Summer Olympics. At the 2012 Olympics he made it into the quarter-final stage of the individual event. Go on Khairul aim for the gold this time.
Badminton
Ini kali-lah. Datuk Lee, you hit a snafu last year and you've since overcomed it. We like to believe you've bounced back stronger than ever. No pressure but a lot is riding on your game this August. Eyes on the prize, we love you. xoxo, Malaysia.
Cycling
Azizulhasni is also banking on the luck of the third as this is his third Olympic outing for Malaysia. The cyclist has four medals, two silvers and two bronzes, all from the World Championships. He has been training under Australian coach John Beasley and is in tip top shape to place.
Diving
Pandalela made waves (pardon) four years ago in London when she won a medal for Malaysia – a first in diving ever – in the 10m platform synchro with Cheong Jun Hoong. They took the silver in the World Cup in Rio in February. She received training in China and looks to score better than a bronze this year.
No targets have been officially set for the 32 athletes but we wish them all the best and can safely say that we're proud to have Olympians competing in the games.