Although the 2016 Rio Olympics is still ongoing, there were many historical moments for Malaysia and one of them was our nation’s first Olympics mixed doubles badminton’s silver win.
Goh Liu Ying, who is a member of the mixed doubles, shared a long Facebook post about her journey to the Olympics, her thoughts when she won, and her dedication.
The touching Facebook post reads (translation):
“To me, winning an Olympic medal was out of reach; standing on on medal podium was nothing but a fantasy. I was the first member of the Malaysian mixed doubles. In the past, Malaysia improvised the mixed doubles teams as they only cared about the men’s doubles and singles; in the past, Malaysians were only interested in “male badminton players”.
2 years ago, I underwent knee surgery just to participate in the Olympic Games. From the group stages to the semi-finals, I thought that maybe we have a chance in winning the bronze. But when we won the semi-finals, I felt like I was in a dream. Did I really win? Is this not a dream? For many times, I have fantasied how great it would feel, standing on that stage (medal podium)!
In the finals, we went against the Indonesian team (Tontowi Ahmad and Liliyana Natsir), who was in good condition, and we didn’t perform up to expectations. Many thought that we could win the gold, but regrettably, we couldn’t put up a good match.
The moment when I was standing on the podium and seeing our nation’s flag being raised, my eyes were filled with tears. I only dared to dream about this moment. We were placed #8 when we entered the Olympics, there were others that were much better than us.
I am just Goh Liu Ying. I do not have great achievements like the Chinese team; I do not have reliable performances like the Korean team; I do not have tactical strategies like the European teams; nor do I have experiences like the Indonesian team. I am just Goh Liu Ying. I am not born with the body of an athlete. When others finished the trainings set by our coach, I can only complete half of it. Compared to other athletes, I have lesser muscles, and with lesser muscles, I tend to have a higher chance of injuries. Due to my (knee) surgery, I can’t train as hard and the strength of my legs is not as strong as others.
I am Goh Liu Ying. I am a silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Olympics mixed doubles. I will be proud of this for the rest of my life!”
27-year-old Malacca-born Goh Liu Ying is the eldest of 3 siblings and she started her badminton training since she was 10 years old. A graduate of Bukit Jalil Sports School, she made her international debut in 2007.
We cannot express how proud we are of you, girl 😀 Thank you for making us and all of Malaysia proud!
More information on team Malaysia at the 2016 Olympics here.
Source: Goh Liu Ying 吴柳萤’s Facebook page.
